


In the End the Sea Will Claim Us All

by Katzenjammers



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, Enthusiastic Consent, F/F, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Tentacle Sex, Thalyssra/Jaina friendship, Women In Power, could be something more if you squint at it but works either way, like fair warning I am going for all the kinks second part
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2020-04-07 07:26:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 35,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19080292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katzenjammers/pseuds/Katzenjammers
Summary: Betraying Azshara had been the only option, personal feelings did not matter, not when the life of her people is on the line. At least that's what Jaina keeps telling herself.Though try as she might, even the Daughter of the Sea cannot outrun the tide.





	1. Fear the Sea

**Author's Note:**

> A two parter with plenty of angst, betrayal, drama and kinky times with a sexy squid lady... what more could you want! (Or maybe that's just me.)

“Why are you afraid of the sea?”

 

The young boy rests his chin on her knee; she can feel his feverishly warm skin even through the thick fabric of her robes.

 

“Are you catching a cold little one? You feel as though you are burning up.” She chides softly, eyes not leaving the parchment in her hands, taking solace in deciphering the loopy scrawl of ancient Shalassian. The task is calming in its difficulty; the words are complex and intricate. The calligraphy is decorated with all the bells and whistles that she sometimes mistakes the delicate illustrations on the first sentences as accents or stresses. It will take her all morning to decipher, her dear Thalyssra has not held back.

 

She’s not seen the First Arcanist in years but the letters keep coming, crisp fancy parchment that reeks of arcane and grandeur and Jaina always feels a small trill of excitement each time she snaps the wax seal and unravels her next puzzle. And a puzzle rather than a letter it will always be to her for once the letters are decoded and translated they are dreadfully boring, ramblings about the daily occurrences of a leader during peacetime: what meetings she attended, what legislations were put in place, the overall health of the Horde tactfully, of course, omitting anything that might be of military interest. Not that Jaina would use that against her even if she wanted to, her ties to the Alliance are tenuous at best these days and she likes to think Thalyssra as a friend. Despite the fancy words, they are dreadfully devoid of emotion, more a military report or what somebody would read if reciting back notes from a meeting or a lecture but Jaina has little care for the content and the nighbourne elf knows this.

 

The burning warmth on her knee shifts and Jaina drops her hand to scratch absently at the soft strands of pale blonde hair that spill over her lap.

 

“I am not feverish” he giggles, “it is you that is always cold.”

 

He’s right. She _is_ always cold; skin pale, veins never at the surface but retreated to her core, as though her blood is forever fighting to keep her vital organs warm. Her bones ache with the chill of someone who has swam in the sea for far too long and her mother, when she sees her, has a habit of always massaging her hands in a futile attempt to bring more blood into them.

 

_I’m a frost mage silly, being cold comes with the territory!_

It’s an automatic joke she now makes. People are often quick to accept the explanation because to them it makes sense; frost is cold, Jaina is cold.

 

Jaina isn’t cold. She’s frozen to the bone, not with the fresh bite of ice or snow but the deep aching chill of dark ocean depths. The boy quiets and seems content to close his eyes and settle against her legs while she dutifully scans Thalyssra’s letter, pausing to scratch a few words she’s unsure about on a fresh pad of paper.

 

She pauses and reads the words again, her now sluggish heart quickening its pace as she studies the strange tone in Thalyssra’s letter.

 

_There is something abnormal about the sea here. Every wave appears to stretch farther and higher, the surfs hiss and roil where they used to be gentle and calm. The mists that shroud our coasts feel unnatural, sinister. I fear that perhaps what we have done has finally come back to bite us._

 

“Auntieee” small hands clasp at her robes and she swallows noisily and places the parchment next to her, watching forlornly as the paper rolls up, obscuring the foreboding words from her vision.

 

“Yes my dear one?” She turns to study his face and her chest constricts. His eyes are blue, wide and innocent, cheeks dimple as he flashes her a cheeky smile. His skin is a gentle tan smattered with freckles, making him look darker than he really is. Soft blond hair curls back from his temples, still damp from swimming in the lake. She sees herself in this little human that curls up on her lap, unbothered at how cold she is or the way her eyes now perpetually glow a sinister blue or the sharp fangs that still sometimes cut into her lower lip when she concentrates too hard, even after all these years of having them.

 

She used to be brave too.

 

Jaina shifts back to give him room but he merely clambers with her, body pressed against the length of her shin and small stumpy arms wrapped tightly around one knee.

 

“I’m bored” he grumbles and she laughs. The sound feels strange in her throat, she hasn’t laughed in a long time, wasn’t even sure she was capable of it. Her vocal chords don’t quite work like they used to. Reflexively her hand reaches up to her neck, where the scars still linger, raw and never healing. It’s easy to hide them with illusionary magic, or under long hair.

 

“Well that will have to change won’t it, what do you have in mind sweet thing.”

 

_Sweet thing._

 

She shivers and regrets her choice in words.

 

“I want to swim.”

 

Jaina freezes, and then relaxes minutely, tilting her head and smirking at him, careful not to flash her fangs as she regards him with mild confusion.

 

“But you have just come out the water.”

 

“Not the lake,” he sighs as though his demands were obvious, “I want to swim in the sea.”

 

And there it is. The mood darkens; the archmage fights back the lump in her throat and the squeezing of her lungs.

 

“The sea is very far away.” She whispers, looking down, hands twisting in the bed sheets.

 

“But you can teleport us Auntie, Dad told me so. He told me you once teleported a whole army from the bottom of the ocean, all the way to _Stormwind!”_

 

Jaina opens her mouth, to deny it? To lie to him? If she tells him the truth he will want to know why...she pauses, unsure, feeling her skin prickle with unease and the scars at her throat flare with fresh pain as though they’ve been sliced anew.

 

“ _Dad_ tells too many stories.” A deep voice cuts in and hands sweep the young boy into strong sailors arms. “Why don’t you leave your Auntie Jaina alone for once, she’s only just woken up and doesn’t need your incessant demands at this time in the morning.”

 

The soft blues of her brother’s eyes meet her stormy greys and he shoots her a lopsided smile and an apologetic look, though his shoulders remain stiff in his wariness of her.

 

They are all wary of her. A mix of fear that she’s going to break and the consequences of what that might be when she does. She cannot bring herself to blame them, after all not only has she changed physically but her mental state is indeed treading a fine line. People talked when they thought she couldn’t hear them. Why would the Daughter of the Sea flee to the mountains; did she know something they did not? Or had the horrors of war finally driven her to insanity. It was the repeating question that thrummed amongst the people like the pulse of the nation, _what had she seen down there._

 

Tandred leaves, taking his curious and chaotic son with him. Jaina slumps miserably back against her pillows. She’s trying, she really is, and on some days there’s even progress; the tentative beginnings of banter and closeness with her family but then they always have to ask.

 

Why are you afraid of the sea?

 

She tries to pick up where she left off in decoding the letter but this is not a merciful gift from her nightbourne friend providing her comfort in its mindless drivel. This is a warning.

 

_Something is wrong with the sea._

Jaina throws the parchment down, a deep guttural growl in her throat, a menacing noise that a human shouldn’t be able to make, and she untangles her legs from the sheets. Her cabin is small and sparsely decorated but she has made some effort to make it look lived in. There are remnants of ashes in the fireplace, bowls and glasses stacked drying next to the sink, the cupboards are stocked with fruits and grains and there are dried spices dangling from a low doorway that she sometimes still hits her head on. There is normality here from the scattering of paper and books across every surface to the large chalkboard covered in formulas and transmutation diagrams and it’s probably what keeps Tandred comfortable enough to bring his son to visit. Auntie Jaina may have gone mad but she still ate porridge by the fireplace and drank tea and buried her nose in a book. They didn’t need to know that she only has a taste for raw fish, sinking her fangs into the cool flesh until rivulets of blood ran down her chin, didn’t need to hear that sometimes her skin itched in such a way that she feverishly scratched at it until she lay in the lapping waters of the lake to soothe it and even then that wasn’t enough. They didn’t need to know that her nightmares were not only returning but also getting worse, repeating the same scenario in her mind in such perfect clarity that she’d never be able to forget it. Forget _her._

 

She nudges open the front door and winces as the harsh light shines in, her skin is so pale now and she already feels as though it’s already burning. Summer in the mountains is relentless; the air shimmers with heat and crickets chirp in the bleached, dry grass. Tandred is playing with his son, spinning him around in a wide arc as he shrieks with delight. He’s bare chested, sweat clinging to his skin and she allows herself a small smile that despite the fact that his upper arms are ropey with muscle there was now a softness to his belly that she teased him about last night.

 

“Sympathy weight” Tandred had shrugged with a bashful smile. “Lucille is pregnant again.”

 

Jaina congratulated him and despite how he joked it was an accident and _one son was enough_ she could see the joy in his eyes.

 

“It’s one of the reasons why we are here, she’s just about had it with the two of us disrupting her nesting, she nearly clobbered me over the head with a wooden spoon the other day.”

 

“I’m sure you deserved it.” Jaina had nudged him with her shoulder and felt her heart clench at the easy grin Tandred gave her in return as he nudged her back.

 

“Aye that I did.” The mood shifted to something more completive and the two watched the flames in silence, lost in their own thoughts before agreeing to turn in for the night. It had been… nice, almost normal and of her remaining family members, Tandred had always been the easiest to talk to. It was his normality that comforted her so, his bickering with Lucille, his unruly son who never seemed to be able to settle down. Her mother always hovered and fretted and Derek… well Derek was sometimes too much like her, displaced, lost and transformed into something that couldn’t be undone. When she looked into his filmy eyes she saw only a reflection of herself, a desperate loneliness and a yearning to belong, to be what once was.

 

Of course that brief respite could only last so long before big blue curious eyes had stared up at her and asked her those dreaded few words.

 

Why are you afraid of the sea?

 

Tandred noticed her approaching and carefully swung the boy to a stop, setting him down and nudging him in the direction of the lake, muttering something about gold coins and buried treasure. They both watched his tiny form bound toward the lake in that jaunty, unbalanced gait little children did and Tandred awkwardly cleared his throat.

 

“We should probably pack up and leave soon, otherwise it will be dark by the time we reach the town and already the horses grow restless in their stable.” He braved putting a hand on her shoulder, trying not to flinch at the chill of her skin. “Thank you, he had a great time swimming in the lake and that snapper-tooth necklace you crafted was a hit, I imagine he will be wearing that for years now.”

 

“I’m glad.” Jaina said quietly. Tandred shifted, boots crunching in the gravely dirt as though he wanted to say more but he kept his mouth shut. “I can make a portal…” she began, even as her throat closed up in anxiety and sharp nails dug into her palms.

 

“No, no, it’s fine.” Tandred butted in, sensing her amounting panic. “He’s been wanting to ride for a while and it will be good practice for him to learn to guide a charger down the mountain paths. Lucille will probably be pleased to be left alone for a another day more anyway.”

 

It was a lie and they both knew it, Tandred didn’t know the real reason why Jaina refused to expel any magic beyond the minor incantation here and there but mercifully he never did pry. He called his son back and Jaina followed them to the stable as they gave the horses and quick rub down and began hoisting saddles and travel packs onto the backs of the beasts. Jaina absently placed a hand on the wither of Tandred’s steed and watched the skin twitch violently at her touch before the horse tossed its large head and blew unsteady breaths through flared nostrils.

 

“Easy.” Tandred murmured distractedly while tightening a strap, not noticing what had caused the reaction in the first place. Jaina frowned and stepped away.

 

She watched them go, waving as animatedly as she could before father and son disappeared over the horizon and taking with them their gentle ease and normalcy. Only then did she drop her hands and curl them around her sides in a dire attempt to comfort herself. The sun was reaching its peak, the heat of its rays beat down without mercy, and the air was so dry up here. Too dry.

 

Boralus had always been damp, Thalyssra had complained about it on the rare occasion that she’d visited after the war. The pillows and sheets always had that slight moisture to them that, even if you couldn’t actively feel it, still clung to your skin in a subtle haze. Wood always rotted, cracked and expanded; needing constant repairs and laundry took forever to dry. Up here the air seemed to suck the very moisture from your lungs, the ground was parched and dusty, she was forever thirsty and any fabric felt stiff and scratchy against her sensitive skin. The lake was cool and soothing but the water tasted too sweet, earthy and metallic. The fish here were a muddy brown and dull, sported flat eyes that peered up at the surface rather than all around them. They did not shimmer like their oceanic counterparts, with silver scales and razor sharp fins.

 

The lake was beautiful, it reflected the mountain peaks around it and was teeming with life, but it wasn’t the sea.

 

It wasn’t dangerous like the sea; the lake was finite, unmoving, devoid of undertows and currents and the monsters that waited below. Her monsters.

 

Jaina swallowed, her throat parched and dry. She was thirsty. Always so thirsty.

 

_There’s something wrong with the sea._

Could it be that it was time? Or was it mere paranoia that had the First Arcanist writing to her now, documenting activity that would hint of something terrible. Thalyssra wouldn’t do this to her if she wasn’t certain, the whole point of the letters thus far had been an exercise in calming her nerves and distracting her so it would be unusually cruel to frighten her without good reason.

 

Jaina’s heart beat so slowly now, the blood in her veins lethargic and lukewarm but even now she was painfully aware of the pulse in her ears. It couldn’t be time already, surely not. She’d been hoping for at least one hundred years, not ten.

 

Ten short years. Years that had passed by far too quickly, she wasn’t ready. She’d never be ready but… it was too soon. The new information from Thalyssra, the interaction with her brother, the normal façade, it had taken its toll on her. Her skin itched something fierce, she needed to lay down in the water again, just for a bit, just deep enough to float on her back and close her eyes for a moment and drift. All too eagerly she shed her loose clothing and dove into the lake, almost whimpering at the relief the cool water brought to her overheated skin. She kicked lazily away from the bank and stared vacantly up at the cloudless sky as she floated on her back, eventually her breaths evened out and she closed her eyes and allowed herself to drift. As she drifted she dreamed.

 

_“Your majesty, I humbly stand before you asking for your aid in our plight against the Old God N’Zoth. Horde and Alliance stand united but we cannot do it alone, we need your armies if we are to stand a chance against his might. We need you.”_

_The flash of shimmering scales, something shifted in the shadows. Then… five glowing eyes blazed open, sending spears of dread into her heart._

_“You are not the first to ask me that little mage. What makes you think my response will be any different.”_

_“Well you have not yet drowned me, so I take a little comfort in that fact.”_

_Jaina felt so small. Like child asking her mother a question when she knew the answer would be no._

_Laughter echoed around her. Writhing tentacles slid from the shadows as the burning red eyes moved closer Jaina tried and failed not to whimper in fear as one slid past her ankles and lazily curled around her thighs, tugging her closer._

_“Let me take a good look at you child. It would like to see the face of one brave enough to have the audacity to make such demands of me.”_

_Jaina set her shoulders and clenched her jaw even as it wobbled slightly as her body threatened to collapse in fear._

_“I h…have not come to just make demands. I have come to make a deal with you.”_

_More echoing laughter. “I do love a good bargain but what could you possibly offer me? I don’t need your armies, mine are larger than your pathetic squabbling Alliance and Horde combined, I have no need for your fleet for I reside below the waves in which you sail on. I have taken more lives, possessed more riches than you can possibly imagine and have ruled empires that existed while your kind still scratched a miserable living in the dirt. What could you even think to give me that I would even consider accepting.”_

_Jaina faltered, suddenly feeling foolish for the answer she was about to give. She was right, what could she possibly offer someone like Queen Azshara. It had to be done though; she was at the end of her wits. There was no alternative and without this deal being accepted, everyone was doomed. Stormwind was doomed, Ogrimmar was doomed, Bolarus, Kul’Tiras, her family, everything would be destroyed. What she was about to offer was but a small price to pay._

_The five eyes blink at her and the tentacle coiled around her began to slither away as a rumble of waters signified that the Queen’s patience was coming to an end._

_“M..myself!” Jaina shouted and the rumbling stopped. “I offer myself. Champion me and I will place myself in servitude to you for as long as you see fit, until the end of time if that’s what it takes.”_

_Silence. Jaina’s blood is hot and pulsing in her ears, her limbs shake with pure adrenalin and her tongue feels sticky in her mouth. She braces herself, expecting the mocking laughter to sound again, the slap of an arm or tentacle sending her rag dolling against the rocks like a cat batting at its prey but it never comes._

_The tentacle slithers back around her, then another, and another until tight-coiled muscles encompass her with just enough pressure to make her gasp but not enough for it to hurt. At least, not yet. She’s tugged in the direction of the glowing eyes and she steels herself for what she’s about to see. Azshara steps, glides? From the shadows and Jaina swallows noisily._

_She’s huge, the humanoid part of her body is at least seven foot but the main trunk of her tentacles causes her to tower over the human mage with a menacing grin on her face. Her teeth are long and sharp and Jaina briefly wonders what they would feel like dragging across her skin. If she was any less certain of the mortal danger she was in she might even feel disgusted at that thought but she’s old enough now to realize that fear and arousal often go hand in hand and right now she’s probably feeling both. Her scales sparkle and brightly colored fins flare from a sharp-featured face, subtly glowing white tentacles writhe like snakes in an imitation of hair, they too also shimmer in the dappled light._

_“You’re beautiful.” Jaina blurts out and Azshara pauses almost perplexed before she lets out a booming laugh that might have given a lesser person a heart attack in its suddenness._

_“Now that I must admit, is a first. I’ve not heard that description given to me in a long, long time. Magnificent yes, terrifying is a popular one too but beautiful, that’s a rare one to hear indeed.”_

_“I mean…” Jaina swallowed. “You’re terrifying too, I’m honestly frightened out of my mind but you are beautiful. I suppose… I wouldn’t mind that this is the last sight I might see.”_

_Tidemother help her what is she blabbering on about!_

_More laughter, gentler this time but there is no warmth in the many eyes the peer down at her in all their burning intensity. Jaina really needs to just focus on one or she’ll go mad and possibly offend the Queen who currently holds her life by a thread in her hands… and tentacles. She settles for the humanoid ones._

_“Flattery will get you nowhere little mage and I have no need for more servants, I have thousands so dedicated who would rather tear off their own limbs than lift a finger to betray me. Servitude will not be enough.”_

_Despite the strong grip of Azshara’s coils around her, Jaina slumped in defeat. Her deal was rejected; she had nothing else to offer. The world as she knew and loved it, would come to an end._

_“Ah, ah patience sweet thing, you haven’t listened to my counter offer yet.”_

_Jaina felt hope flicker deep within her chest. “Yes, yes! Anything!” The tentacles tightened around her and she gasped a little._

_“Now, now, contain yourself child. It is unbefitting of a Lord Admiral such as yourself to show desperation. It is polite to listen to me first.” A smaller tentacle joined the fray and wound its way upward, pushing under her chin and tilting her face up. “You know little human, you’ve been on my mind a lot recently.” The humanoid part of Azshara came closer and Jaina watched as one of her four arms lifted slowly up to reveal an angry red scar broken up by the flaps of the gills at the side of her neck. “It was very rude of you to have given me this don’t you think?”_

_Jaina froze, ice settling in her veins as she stared up at the Naga Queen with dread in her eyes._

_“I knew it was you who did it, such a clever little thing to add randomly timed delays to your spells. It was simply a joy to figure out which and when one would come next!” Jaina almost imagined her clapping her hands with glee were they not occupied in weaving a spell that Jaina was unable to make out. “I am embarrassed to admit I did not expect you to drive an entire ship through my forcefield and to think I got this scar from the splintering of wood!” She made a disgusted sound, not at Jaina but at herself. “Of course, you live and you learn don’t you? Sometimes I forget, life can be so dull knowing everything, but here you are teaching someone like me!” Azshara cackled as though the very thought was hilarious to her. Jaina on the other hand bristled as though patronized, she’d thrown every ounce of her intellect, power, mana and reserves at Azshara and what did she have to show for it._

_A scar._

_She was surprised, however, that the Naga Queen had chosen not to heal it._

_“I really should kill you for your insolence but perhaps you can be salvaged. It has been so long since I’ve found anyone remotely as interesting as you and even longer since I’ve taken on an apprentice…” she paused the weaving of her spell and snapped her fingers. Jaina jolted as around her countless naga ported in, some flopping on the dried floor with a pained grunt while others circled around her in the wall of water that Azshara held back. There were so many and the Naga Queen had just summoned them without even breaking conversation or a sweat. Tides, with her help there might actually be a glimmer of hope in this world._

_“Okay little mage accept this offer and my army and powers are yours, while I have pledged myself to N’Zoth I have not pledged him my magic, I shall lend you what’s mine to command in your plight and in response you shall fight on my behalf and save your people but…” she held up her lower right arm as Jaina was about to murmur a stream of thank yous before continuing, “when that Void harbinger becomes no more than a mountain of twitching flesh, my powers will return to me and you shall be mine.”_

_“Yes I will be yours.” Jaina bowed her head reverently since the rest of her body was still immobilized. “As your servant and apprentice I will be yours to command.”_

_“Oh my sweet child not as that.” Azshara’s voice practically cooed and Jaina frowned in confusion._

_“Then as what?” She nearly begged._

_“You shall be mine, as my wife.”_

Jaina gasped, and spluttered, coughing out lungfuls of lakewater as she kicked furiously to the surface, churning mud around her as she made to hurriedly swim for the shoreline. She’d drifted off for far longer than she’d anticipated and she’d started to float further out. With a few powerful kicks of someone who’d learned to swim before she could walk, she was back at the bank, fingers digging into the wet mud and hoisting herself unceremoniously onto the dried grass. She drew a few more breaths into her lungs and gasped as white hot pain flared each side of her neck. She’d been breathing with her gills again. Fuck.

 

Like a freshly scabbed wound that had re-opened, they felt sore to touch and she gingerly ran her fingers along the ridges. She took a few more experimental breaths through her mouth and sighed in relief when her lungs expanded and she could feel the relief of oxygen tied into their movements. It may have been pointless to worry but she didn’t understand Azshara’s magic enough to not fear that the gills would take over and render her terrestrial breathing useless, trapping her within the lake for eternity, like the dull colored fish that circled lazily around in it, unaware of how small their world was.

 

She really needed to stop doing this, sleeping in the lake. She had a bed, soft sheets and a warm and cozy cabin where the wind chimes on the porch clattered musically in the gentle mountain breeze. She had a fireplace and all the time in the world to curl up on the faded couch and flip through books and scrolls, absorbing the information of the world and sating her ever-curious mind. She had always dreamed of this, a chance to finally be left alone to study, to retire and live out her days in the peaceful solitude of her home; free to work through her traumas and maybe even, one day, lay Theramore to rest.

 

It didn’t feel like a dream anymore.

 

It was sad really, how many dreams often died within ones lifetime; goals constantly changed, reality sunk in and people were often just so willing to settle for _less_. It was interesting how humans could profess such undying love and devotion to someone only to grow bored of them later, disheartened and disinterested, jaded by the reality that the person they fell in love with is far less perfect than their hormone addled brain had initially lead them to believe. Perhaps it was the curse of her race, the short lifespan in comparison to others was a burden humanity had to bear, always feeling like they were sold short in their lot in life, always striving to make the most but in that effort losing the ability to actually enjoy it.

 

There never really was enough time.

 

Jaina wondered where this left her. She had the mind of a short-spanned mortal and the body of something destined to live much longer, the effects of the mana bomb, her own arcane prowess and Azshara’s magic had changed her, warped her to be something more than human. She wasn’t ageing, not like Tandred who seemed to grow more handsome with each weathered line to his face, not like her mother who now walked with a hunch and frailness to her shoulders that pained her to think about if she dwelled on that fact for too long. She was frozen, stuck in a perpetual state between human and…other and she wondered if her body were to remain unchanging, would her mind still degrade until she was confused and senile but wearing the body of someone still in their prime. She shuddered at the thought. Thalyssra always seemed sure of herself, so accepting of her longevity because that was what she was _supposed_ to do. She had always been designed to live for millennia; her mind was prepared for it; Jaina’s wasn’t and she would need all the help from the elf she could get if she were to survive this newfound life of hers.

 

Her mind drifted to the letter again, its warning, and terror again seized her heart. She’d not used her magic in years, at least not with anything that was complex enough to require a staff. Her signature, try as she might to hide it, flared distinct and bright. Thalyssra always knew it was her before she’d even arrive- arcane cracked under her skin in such intensity that even the uptight nobility of Suramar would give her a double take as she walked by. People like her were not given the luxury of hiding, one strong spell and it was highly likely that even locked away under the crushing pressure of 30,000 feet of sea _she_ could probably sense it and if she sensed it, she could probably find her…

 

The taste of copper filled her mouth and she winced, she’d bitten her lip too hard again. Still damp from the lake and the residue of dirt and mud clinging to her ankles and calves she marched inside with a terrified determination.

 

She knew what she had to do.

 

Her staff felt lighter than she remembered, the hum of it all to familiar as she gripped the magic imbued wood in her palms and stroked the smooth, sanded texture of it.

 

“Hello, old friend,” she whispered lovingly, swallowing a lump in her throat as the arcane flared in her veins, giving her a sense of _life_ she thought was wasn’t ever going to feel again. “I think it’s time we stopped running don’t you think?” The crystal seemed to blaze in response and swallowing back the panic squeezing at her chest, Jaina began to cast. The air wobbled and warped and the intensity in which her mana rushed forward, eager to be used, almost hurt. The portal was shaky, the edges of it flickered and crackled from lack of practice but it was a portal just the same and beyond it she could see the proud spires of Suramar in the distance, partially obscured by that strange fog Thalyssra had been talking about.

 

People gawked as she stepped through, some readied weapons, some shouted her name in a question, a few more whispered worriedly amongst themselves. The atmosphere of the place hit her and Jaina audibly gasped.

 

_Oh._

The sea air enveloped her and she almost fell to her knees. She missed it so, the subtle scent of salt and decaying seaweed. The cool breeze and gentle moisture in the air felt like home, more so than her cabin had ever been, as pleasant as she’d tried to make it. The roar of the surf in the background was like a caress to her ears and almost in response to her presence she could hear them crash harder against the shore sending licks of froth spaying over the rocks.

 

What bothered her though was the strange haze of dark magic that seemed to permeate the fog that hung over the city, rolling in from the shoreline in thick waves, wisps and tendrils of it like long pale fingers, reaching in her direction.

 

“So you see what I mean.” A low voice, rich in its exotic accent sounded to the left of her and she visibly jolted in response.

 

“Thalyssra.” Jaina breathed and the First Arcanist nodded once in response, eyes never leaving the ocean horizon.

 

“It was dangerous for you to come here, I sensed you before you even arrived and even now the waves seem angrier than before. She’s aware of you now, this city is at risk just by you being here and she won’t hesitate in destroying everything if it means getting to you.” Thalyssra didn’t seem angry however; her glowing eyes reluctantly left the ocean and swept over the form of the human. “You look terrible.”

 

Jaina barked a harsh laugh, relaxing slightly despite the somber mood and the bleak and stormy setting.

 

“Never one for pleasantries were you.”

 

The nightbourne elf made a non-committal noise in the back of her throat before a tiny smile lifted the corner of her mouth.

 

“I never really was fond of them, despite how it seems to saturate my culture like a curse. It is good to see you though, Lady Proudmoore.”

 

“And you as well, First Arcanist.” Jaina mocked in a haughty tone, her Shalassian sounding flat in comparison to the ease in which it flowed from her friend’s tongue.

 

“I would say your grasp of my language has improved but, that would be practicing the false pleasantries in which I hate. Your pronunciation… could use some improving.”

 

“You mean to say it sucks.” Jaina offered, switching to common and winking conspiratorially to show that no offence was taken.

 

“Yes it indeed does…suck.” The human chuckled at the awkwardness and distaste the elf displayed in uttering such casual slang.

 

Thalyssra wasn’t one for outward emotion, she rarely joked or laughed but that only meant that when she did, she truly meant it. The way in which she tilted her head and offered the human a fond smile, placing a hand on her shoulder for a second before dropping it was the nighbourne’s version of an enthusiastic greeting and Jaina felt touched at that simple display of friendship more than any excited squeals or hugs could ever do. Perhaps, after so many millennia of being alive you just didn’t have the energy to expel such sentiment but then her thoughts drifted, as they always inevitably did, to Azshara. Azshara had been all too emotional, quick to anger, quick to excite, her mood swings were anything but tame.

 

“Thalyssra, do elves go mad eventually, if they have lived too long?”

 

If the nighbourne was surprised at the strangeness of her question she didn’t show it, then again Jaina had a habit of this, forgetting the speed in which her mind worked through things and asking seemingly random questions that, to her conversational counterpart, seemed totally unconnected to the what they’d even been talking about before.

 

“I suppose that depends on the elf, but I guess if you mean how many humans go senile with age, it isn’t the same. Our minds don’t degrade in that sense; madness would be the result of outside events rather than just being around for too long.”

 

Jaina hummed in response and frowned uneasily.

 

“If you are concerned about losing your mind from age Jaina I wouldn’t worry, madness in old age for your kind is a physical thing. Your body slows, you become weary. As your senses diminish and break down, things start to make less sense, you cease to care. While you physically remain youthful, you won’t age mentally in the same way, as for the madness, well, there’s a lot else that will drive you insane long before you even would have to worry about that.”

 

Jaina nodded once, not really feeling any better despite attempts to calm her fears. “Do you think Azshara is insane?”

 

Thalysrra didn’t skip a beat. “Of course.” Then she paused. “I think you are too, to an extent, and so am I. I think we all have to be, a little, in order to cope with what we’ve been through.”

 

For some reason that _did_ make her feel better. Perhaps insanity, in small doses, was a blessing rather than a curse.

 

“I _must_ be insane, to even come back here.” Jaina laughed humorlessly.

 

“That you indeed are.” Thalyssra agreed though there was only a gentle chiding to her tone, like a mother affectionately scolding a child.

 

“What we did was a mistake.”

 

The mood darkened, Thalyssra’s ears flattened slightly and the muscles of her jaw tightened in response.

 

“Yes, yes it was.”

 

_“Jaina! Why didn’t you send the signal! We are running out of time, we have to do it NOW!” The usually calm and stoic tones of Thalyssra were raw with panic and echoed around her skull._

_The human’s eyes shot open, dread seized at heart and the long arms that were draped around her in a gentle embrace stiffened as Azshara pulled back slightly in response to the sudden disturbance._

_The crackle of arcane as the First Arcanist teleported in caused her to turn away momentarily from the Naga Queen to register the barely contained desperation on her friend’s face. She looked exhausted, mana almost depleted from the battle, but her stance remained defensive, one arm reached in her direction as though she was about to wrench the young mage from her grasp._

_“It is unwise to teleport so rudely in and interrupt what was a loving moment between me and my wife.” Azshara snapped, her embrace never leaving Jaina as she turned her head to the offending visitor. Gods that voice she used was terrifying, the malice in it that threatened to drown cities on a whim. “Dear Thalyssra I thought you were smarter than this.”_

_“Jaina, snap out of it, please. You know what we have to do!”_

_“What, pray tell, is this idiot blathering on about my dear wife? Would you like me to send her away, the only reason I have yet to crush her is because it might upset you but my patience is quickly wearing thin.”_

_“Jaina! You promised, our plan, this is the last chance, our ONLY chance. You’ve got to do this, you have enough of her power, there’s still time, but we can’t wait any longer. Please. For Boralus, for Suramar, for your family at the very least, we cannot fail!”_

_Jaina swallowed, eyes closing as she let the reality of the situation finally settle in. She felt the arms gently holding her drop from her waist and she opened them to see an expression on Azshara’s face she thought she’d never witness. Uncertainty._

_“Jaina?” Azshara’s voice matched her expression._

_“I’m sorry.” The human whispered brokenly backing away. “I have to do this, for my people, for Kul’Tiras, for Azeroth.”_

_Before Azshara could respond Thalyssra blinked forward, pushing Jaina aside and thrusting the knife into her hands. “Lady Proudmoore you must act quickly, I will channel what energies I can to guide you but you must be the one to do it, act quickly now.”_

_“Jaina what are you… NO!” Azshara grew in size and bulk, shedding her highbourne form with an outraged roar, tentacles reaching in her direction with blinding speed but the human was too quick. Jaina held up the knife and from it burst an explosion of power, power that wasn’t hers, power that Azshara had given to her. Oh the irony of it all, to be imprisoned by her own magics and the Naga Queen knew it, howling curses in her own language as she tore at the matrix that had formed to contain her. It was no use, she couldn’t fight against her own power but still she continued to struggle, hurling the cruelest insults and curses at the duo that trembled before her, terrified even with the upper hand._

_“You deceitful icy… bitch! You think to betray ME? After all I have sacrificed for you, after all I have given? You will not do this to me, we had a deal!”_

_Jaina wished with all her heart she didn’t need two hands to cast so she could block her ears. Tears ran down her face but she remained as she was, channeling the raw power that nearly forced her to her knees with each devastating pulse as it left her body, channeling into the knife that held the Queen of the Ocean at bay._

_More shrieks of betrayal, more howls of unbridled rage. Azshara was absolutely terrifying in that very moment, a picture that Jaina knew she’d never be able to unsee. Claws raked with a desire to impale, tentacles lashed with an intent to dismember and sharp fangs drew back in an outraged snarl. Then suddenly she stilled, the anger gone, the air silent save for the deep hum of arcane as Jaina and Thalyssra continued to channel._

_“Jaina?” Azshara’s voice was suddenly quiet, raw and thick with pain. “Jaina why? I did everything for you. Please don’t do this, please don’t send me away, I don’t want to be alone again.”_

_“Don’t…listen to her.” Thalyssra’s voice was strained. “She’s using your emotions against you, you must not listen to her lies.”_

_“Is that what you thought they were Jaina?” Azshara whispered, not even sparing the nighbourne elf a glance, eyes never wavering from the human mage. “lies?”_

_Jaina shook her head vehemently, vision now blurred from the tears in her eyes._

_“Look at me Jaina, please look at me my love.”_

_“Enough sea witch!” Thalyssra snarled. “She will not be swayed by your deceit, we shall send you to the depths where you belong. Trapped within this knife for eternity so our world can be free of your wrath.”_

_“Jaina it doesn’t have to be this way I…” Azshara’s sentence was broken off by a particularly large and painful surge in the magics containing her, she could see it now, her very form being bound to Xal’atath and it filled her with a sense of dread she hadn’t felt since submitting herself to that abomination of a god N’Zoth. Her pleas turned again to threats and as she felt the world around her start to darken, narrowing to nothing more than the knife that called to her, sucking her into its cruel prison dimension. Hope all lost, she snarled out one final warning._

_“Betrayer! This will not hold me forever Proudmoore! I will break free and when I do, there will be nowhere to hide!” Then the ritual was complete and there was silence, save for the final echo of a whisper as Jaina shakily handed the knife to Thalyssra to be casted to the deepest point in the sea._

_“I am coming for you.”_


	2. Scapegoat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As a dark magic hovers over the city of Suramar Jaina can't help but reminisce of her times with Azshara and what they could mean in the fate that could befall her if the Naga Queen is to break free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we have it, turns out I was a fool for thinking I could fit this story into two chapters so I've mapped it out over 4. 
> 
> 3 very long chapters and an epilogue. This chapter alone sits at around 13k words so enjoy. Chapter 3 already sits at 10k words and counting... its going to be a long ride. 
> 
> 10 percent more backstory, 15 percent more shots of sexy characters broodingly glaring at horizons and just a tad more NSFW. Make like Illidan and come prepared.

_The deal was done, the contract enforced. Jaina glanced around her, tilted her head inquisitively at the naga guard, finding it such an odd phenomenon to not have one rushing her, trident in hand and demanding her death. She stared at Azshara who shifted back, regarding her with barely contained amusement, all four arms folded. Jaina blinked, Azshara blinked, the naga waiting patiently for their commands blinked, the thin reptilian membrane flicking across slitted pupils._

_“Well, now what?” Jaina demanded, not able to stand the silence any longer._

_Azshara smirked. What do you mean? Now you run along to your miserable friends on the surface and wait for further instruction from me.”_

_Jaina frowned. “But your powers, your army. Was the deal not so that I would receive them?”_

_The Naga Queen threw back her head and openly cackled. The sound was loud and harsh against her ears and Jaina fought the instinct not to grimace at the mocking tone of it._

_“Oh sweet little human you do make me laugh. You’re almost worth the hassle!” Azshara sobered up and Jaina flinched as she glided closer, trying not to eye up the long claws that her fingers tapered off into as one palm cupped the side of her face gently, the size of it making her feel insignificant. If Azshara wanted she could probably crush her head with one hand using physical force alone. “If I were to give you my magics as they are, the sheer magnitude of force would burn your body from the inside out, it would unravel the very fabric of your being before you even had a chance to draw yet another useless breath.”_

_“Then what was the point in all this!” Jaina spat out, embarrassed and angry. She tried to fight it but the very thought that perhaps she’d been tricked into making this deal, that she’d sold the rest of her life in exchange for nothing was sending her into spasms of panic._

_“Oh darling, you will get it. I will hold up my end of our deal, don’t you fret, but if we are to do this we must do it properly and…” she grimaced as though reluctant to utter the word, “Safely.”_

_Jaina let out a long breath, relief and disappointment flowing through her in equal magnitude._

_“Oh don’t look so put out, dear one, I too am frustrated by your limitations as well.”_

_Jaina tried not to let that backhanded comment get to her, hoping that her expression at least warranted some semblance of dignity. Azshara searched her face with an unreadable expression before she pulled away. “You’ve had a long day, sweet thing. I shall take you to the surface and let you rest. You will need it, for soon I shall call upon you and our training will begin.” Azshara waved her hand casually and Jaina might have missed the movement were the surge in magics not so potent as they swirled around her. It was equal parts awe and jealousy Jaina felt that Azshara could effectively output that much power without the need for a staff or even a casting stance. The world warped around her and she found herself standing on the shoreline of Tiagarde Sound, barely registering the shouts of surprise as her people swarmed to her location, alerted by the terrifying crack of power that signified her arrival. Azshara was right, she was exhausted and most likely in shock from the events that had occurred. She dreaded the morning when the reality of her predicament would truly hit her but for now she was tired, bone-achingly tired. Later that evening, as she collapsed into the comfort of her bed at Proudmoore Keep, she thought she could hear the faintest of whispers, nudging gently on the fringes of her subconscious._

_“Sleep well, my champion.”_

 

[====]

 

Jaina propped herself up on her elbows, sweat on her brow and a nauseous feeling in her gut. For a horrifying moment she had no idea where she was but as she frantically kicked her legs free from the unfamiliar silk sheets wrapped around them, the soft fragrance of incense and the deep thrum of ancient magic in the room reminded her that she was safe. Well, as safe as one could be in the circumstance. The deep purple tones and the lavish décor further confirmed her whereabouts as her eyes adjusted to the dark. She was on a bed of some sorts, not the kind she was used to sleeping in but more a glorified mattress on the ground, lined with soft, embroidered pillows that smelled of arcane and lavender. The Shal’Dorei, despite their tall and long limbed physique, seemed averse to having furniture far off the ground. Even dining tables were something of an affair where you sat cross-legged on a cushion or low stool rather than the stiff back of an upright chair. Maybe that was why Thalyssra had such good posture, though Jaina suspected she was the type to hold herself perfectly no matter what soft of furniture she was brought up on. Speaking of Thalyssra, Jaina could hear steady breaths next to her and she tilted her head slowly to regard her friend, noticing only now that the First Arcanist was sound asleep in the same bed as her, one leg entwined with hers and a long arm draped across her stomach. Jaina rolled her eyes with a fond smirk on her face. Elves.

 

Vereesa had done it back in Dalaran, though part of that might have been a desire to cling to everyone and everything after Rhonin’s death. Pained had a similar reaction when they’d had to share quarters on diplomatic missions and now Thalyssra was doing the same. It seemed that elves, no matter which type, shared the desire to aggressively cuddle in bed. Maybe it was the arcane that practically bled from her skin that attracted the behaviour, or it was just how their kind functioned. Vereesa had shared stories of how her and her rangers often bunked together to keep out the cold that their bodies were so susceptible to. It was probably a mixture of both.

 

Then there had been Azshara. Azhara hadn’t cuddled in bed; Azshara _was_ the bed, all encompassing and overwhelming in every sense. It had been hard for the mage to discern where she’d ended and the Queen had begun, _tides_ the first night she’d hardly got a wink of sleep with the intensity of it all. Nothing could compare to the feeling of drifting in the depths of the sea, senseless to everything except the touch of the many limbs of her lover wrapped possessively around her, warmed by the steady thrum of magic from a creature so powerful she may as well have been a god. It had been hard to imagine at first, someone such as Azshara to have basic needs. Jaina figured she just didn’t sleep, maybe had active and restful periods but always on the move, like a shark.  How wrong she was. Azshara slept long and deep, all five of her blazing eyes closed, which softened the monstrosity of her features and made her look… peaceful. She also had a taste for wine and enjoyed basking in the warmth of the sun in the shallows, strangely simple pleasures for a being where every nation had written songs and legends, warning of her wrath.

 

Jaina’s chest hurt. Her head knew the dangers of allowing someone such as Azshara to exist, knew that the world would always be on the brink of a war so long as she remained a threat. Still, a foolish part of her, a part that lodged in her side like a jagged splinter, missed the Naga Queen terribly. Missed her childlike enthusiasm in everything, missed the theatrical spin she gave to her words and actions. Some would find that exhausting and initially Jaina would have agreed, but the more time she’d spent with Azshara, the easier she became to read. Suddenly those squeals of delight and cackles of laughter were a mechanism to hide emotion or pain she didn’t want anyone to notice. Azshara used to be a Queen, loved by all, worshipped even, by the most devout. It had been a curse of her own doing. The former Highbourne had unwittingly backed herself into a prison, one where she had to be perfect, a bastion of flawlessness to the detriment of her own sanity. Sometimes, when it had just been the two of them alone, Azshara grew silent and serious. Coiled around the human with long fingers blissfully raking through her hair in a touch so gentle Jaina wondered if it took the Queen a fair amount of concentration not to accidently snag her scalp with those long claws, her voice would drop its usual dramatic tones. It became soft and deep, a gentle croon that lulled Jaina into a trance of security and awe. Like the lure light on an anglerfish, Jaina knew that behind those rare tender and raw moments lay rows upon rows of jagged teeth, yet still she chased them, a foolish little fish caught in a trap she could not resist.

 

[====]

 

_“So we meet again, child. You are late.”_

_Jaina grimaced and gingerly stepped forward until the lapping water kissed the tips of her boots. “There were people… less enthusiastic with our agreement.”_

_A deep but genuine laugh came from deep within the Queen’s throat. “Oh I bet there were. Come closer dear, it’s rude to keep your Queen waiting so.”_

_Jaina waded deeper into the water, watching Azshara’s reaction, cautiously gauging every movement and expression like cornered prey under the watchful gaze of a predator. The chill of the water licked at her heels, then her calves._

_“Come on, closer! Are you afraid to get a little bit wet, Daughter of the Sea?”_

_Jaina scowled, not missing the suggestiveness of the phrasing. So she wanted to play that kind of game. Very well._

_Dredging up bravado she didn’t really have, Jaina retreated back to the dryness of the land, only to work at the straps and buttons on her clothing. Her staff was the first to hit the damp sand with a heavy thud, followed by her pauldron and the armor of her casting arm. Then her corset, her skirts and her boots until she was dressed simply in leggings and an undershirt that hung loosely off one shoulder. All the time Azshara retreated back into the waves and watched. Shivering not just in response to the sudden chill to her freshly exposed skin, Jaina squared her shoulders and dove back in, fighting past the resistance of the water until the spray hit her stomach, then her upper chest and shoulders. Her warm skin jumped at the icy chill of the water, her breath escaping from her lungs in a hiss at the shock of the changing temperature._

_True to her character, Azshara wasn’t patient enough to allow her to adjust and Jaina wished she could have stifled the yelp of fear when several tentacles wrapped around her limbs and waist and the overwhelming crackle of powerful magic enveloped her form once more._

_She was underwater again, though Azshara this time had held back the waves prior to her arrival, rather than have her panic and scramble for air as she had done on their first meeting. The location however was vastly different and for a wild moment Jaina thought she’d been teleported to Suramar. The buildings were nearly identical in layout and design, the regal architecture a shining beacon to empires long past. However, the landscape was vastly different. Jagged cliffs of coral rose dramatically from the surrounding ledges of rock, seagrass swayed in the gentle currents sustained by magic and brightly coloured fish darted between tall trees of kelp that cast a dappled shade on the shimmering white sand below. It was beautiful._

_Entranced as she was, Jaina didn’t even care when the alien touch of tentacles took her by the waist and pulled her back into a restrictive yet strangely comforting embrace. Dressed as simply as she was, she could feel the cool press of Azshara’s body through the thin fabric of her shirt. The sane side of her recoiled in horror while a larger portion, the overly curious and somewhat reckless part that made Jaina who she was, urged her to lean back, to further investigate the solidity of those muscular arms that flexed as they tightened their hold. She felt a steady pulse against the angular jut of her shoulder blades and realized with some surprise that she could feel Azshara’s heartbeat._

_“Welcome, Lady Proudmoore,” a deep voice as soft as silk crooned in her right ear, “to my home.”_

 

[====]

 

Jaina groaned, bare feet hitting the cool marble tiles and her vision swimming wildly. Her throat felt dry and her head pounded as though something was tearing ragged chunks from her brain. The source of her discomfort lay in an empty bottle of arcwine that rolled away from her foot in an obnoxious clatter as she gracelessly stumbled over it. The mere sight nearly brought her to tears as her stomach heaved. _Tides_ how much had she had to drink?

 

Thalyssra stirred and mumbled something in her native language in response to the noise but mercifully settled back down. Jaina wasn’t sure she could muster enough coherence to string together any form of dialogue at this moment. Rubbing at dry and tired eyes the human scanned her surrounds hoping she could find something, _anything_ to put a stop to the incessant pounding in her skull. Like a shining beacon of hope on a desolate horizon, the human spied the water jug and practically crawled in its direction, nearly knocking it off the stand in her desperation to grab hold of the handle. In response, runes etched into the metallic handle flared, cooling the contents of the liquid inside and Jaina gulped it down greedily, thanking any higher power that would listen for small mercies such as this and the fact that elves felt the need to enchant every household item they owned. Feeling slightly more alive, she ventured a look at her surroundings in more detail. She noticed she was dressed in a simple silk slip. Well, as simple as Suraman fashion would allow, since the collar and waist were still patterned with silver and white threads, woven in an intricate design that would have made Kul Tiran nobles green with envy. She realized with an uneasy pang that Thalyssra had probably changed her. It wasn’t the First Arcanist seeing her nakedness that bothered her, elves didn’t have the same regard for indecency in nudity like humans did, but it did trouble her that her friend had probably seen the changes to her body, changes Azshara had made that no amount of magic could undo. She would have noticed how fresh the scars on her neck were as well and she wondered if Thalyssra was disappointed at her weakness.

 

The mist still hung outside the window, shrouding what might have been an otherwise beautiful day. Instead it just made the rays of the sun cast its light in sinister beams, like the scattered rays below the surface of an ocean. The gentle roar of the surf, while distant, felt deafening. A lone gull cried out and voices, muted by the fog, went about their daily business though, even in her short time staying here, Jaina could taste the tension in the air, as if the entire city was collectively holding its breath. For what, Jaina wasn’t sure, but it wouldn’t be good.

 

_I’m coming for you._

Oh if only it were that simple. She would gladly give herself over to Azshara’s wrath, die a million times at the cruel hands of her Queen but she knew it wouldn’t be just her. It would be Suramar, it would be Bolarus, it would be Ogrimmar and Stormwind and any other nation that would dare to house its citizens on land, refusing to relent to the commands of the sea. Azshara’s kingdom. Ruling the waves had never been enough, like the inevitable tide her armies would have marched against her homeland, sunk entire continents below the waves. Even the sleepy towns nestled in the rolling hills of Stormsong Valley would have been swept away and Jaina imagined her little blonde nephew, trembling in the arms of Tandred as her brother watched helplessly at the legions of naga ransacking their home.

 

No. She would have never been able to idly stand by. She would have fought Azshara every step of the way, her powers useless in comparison to the Queen’s might.

 

What she and Thalyssra had done was right. Surely. Azshara wouldn’t have changed, she was as old as Jaina’s entire species, had ruled kingdoms before the creation of her language. A few short years could not redeem a person. Persuading Azshara would be like persuading the tide not to rise, or the sun to not set. She could not argue with an ocean.

 

Could she?

 

Daughter of the Sea. The title felt stale now. She used to think the sea as family, the kindness of the Tidemother watching over her as a child as she giggled and played in the spray, shaping elementals to cater to every childish desire. Now the sea seemed to regard her as something that belonged to it. The gentle lapping waves of her childhood became angry breakers, white and foaming as they slapped menacingly against the sharp rocks along the coastline.

 

Like a rite of passage, every species that gained sentience seemed to attempt at controlling the ocean. Some tried to reclaim land, others threw rocks into the shallows to temper erosion, some would build grand harbor walls but their efforts would inevitably prove futile. If anything it just made the sea fight back harder. Was that what she and Thalyssra had done, delayed the inevitable only to end up making that same inevitable worse?

 

Azshara. Even her name sounded like the crash of waves on a shoreline. A title that carried so much dread amongst so many. For Jaina it just carried pain.

 

[====]

 

_“Where are we?” Jaina shifted her bare feet in the warm sand. The air felt humid, hot and as she nervously licked her lips she wasn’t sure if the salt she tasted was from the sea or her own sweat._

_“Nowhere that has a name. I merely raised this spit of land from the depths.”_

_Jaina rolled her eyes. Of course._

_“You’re distracting yourself. Focus. I really would rather not spend all day watching you fail. I’m already bored enough as it is.”_

_Jaina grit her teeth but ignored the jab and resumed her stance and nodded that she was ready. Azshara sighed as though all this was so very beneath her and casually waved a hand in her direction. The magic hit her like a stampeding elikk and Jaina gasped, winded, one knee dropping to the sand as she struggled to maintain control. The foreign feeling of someone else’s arcane snapping at her mana reserves and synapses nearly brought her to tears in its intensity. The needle like concentration raking at every exposed nerve brought her to the point of agony and she groaned, long and deep while sucking in shaky breaths through clenched teeth. She barely had time to adjust before a wave bigger than the last crashed into her. Her vision clouded and she swayed dangerously, barely hearing the frustrated shout from behind her._

_“Stop rejecting it, you’ve got to let it flow through you, accept it as your own rather than a separate entity or you will just burn yourself out by fighting me.”_

_Jaina tried to relax, she really did, but her body betrayed her by curling in on itself. Droplets of tears and sweat fell to the sunbaked ground beneath her and more than once she nearly lost her lunch as a sudden wave of nausea rippled through her gut._

 

_“Proudmoore, fix your stance. You’re blocking the conduit and making it extremely uncomfortable for both you and me.”_

_Jaina tried to right herself but it was all too much, her palms collided with the ground and the connection snapped. She heard Azshara curse loudly before her head hit the sand and her vision went black._

_*_

_She wasn’t sure how long she was out but when her eyes fluttered open she realized something, no, someone was cradling her. Her head in their lap._

_She lifted her head, staring in panic to see the coastline empty, devoid of the Naga Queen who’d been lounging in the waves, chin resting on one palm with an irked expression on her face._

_The person holding her pushed her head back down and pressed a cool palm against her heated cheek. She didn’t know who they were but she was grateful for their soothing touch._

_“Where is she? Where did she go.” Jaina croaked uselessly and the figure holding her hushed her. Jaina closed her eyes miserably. “I can’t do this, it’s been nearly a year and no progress. Her magic is too strong, I failed her.”_

_“Are you giving up so easily child?” The hand pressed against her cheek slid to her temple, slowly carding fingers through strands of damp hair._

_That voice, that buttery smooth voice, intoxicating in its sultry tones. Nobody else could speak like that and send such violent shivers down her spine. She tilted her face up and her breath caught in her throat._

_An elf was holding her, a night elf... No, not that. A race so ancient that very few humans would have ever laid eyes on one. Highbourne. And not just any Highbourne. That flawless face, every muscle, every feature exuding nobility and grace and those warm amber eyes that gazed into her very soul. The face that had brought even the most prideful and powerful aristocracy to their knees in worship._

_Queen Azshara, as she’d once been from a very long time ago. Jaina shank back as though frightened and the terrifyingly beautiful elf frowned in response, dropping her hand from Jaina’s face and allowing the human to shift to a more upright position._

_“Azshara?” Jaina questioned, her voice caught in her throat. The elf smiled wistfully and held out her palms in an almost bashful manner._

_“The very same.”_

_“How…” Jaina frowned and Azshara’s smile faded as she leapt to her feet, startling the human with the unexpected movement._

_“An illusion, of course. It is tiring to navigate on land without legs. Besides, this form is pleasing, don’t you think?” Azshara turned away dismissively, striding along the sand and Jaina frowned at the way the elf seemed to be avoiding looking at her expression._

_Not really. Jaina thought mulishly. Pleasing in that she was conventionally beautiful she supposed, but she didn’t particularly care for it. If anything it made her more uncomfortable. This wasn’t the Azshara she’d started to get to know, this wasn’t the form she was familiar with. It brought her no comfort to look upon that dizzying beauty, to her it was a cold and untouchable as the chiselled monuments raised in her image that lay in the ruins of the old Kaldorei empire. Rather than dare to voice her opinion, the human merely shrugged her response and followed Azshara along the shoreline until the illusionary form stopped, looking out toward the waves with an unreadable expression on her face._

_“I’ve made a mistake.” Azshara sighed and Jaina felt her very soul deflate, hissing through her skin as if desperately trying to escape the monumental shame she now felt._

_“I’m sorry.” She hated how her voice came out as barely a whisper. She wasn’t sure when it had happened and probably couldn’t pinpoint an exact time but disappointing Azshara now devastated her in more ways than one._

_The Highbourne pinned her ears back in an almost comical manner as she turned to regard the human with a baffled expression. “Why on Azeroth are you apologizing child?”_

_“I am weak, I failed you. I am powerless to control your magic, insignificant… unworthy.” She winced at the self-hatred in her voice but it didn’t make her statement any less true. Azshara had made a mistake in accepting her deal, she’d over estimated her powers, thought herself to have a say in the outcome of her world but she saw it for what it was. She was playing a game she had no hope of winning, she wasn’t a Queen, or a Lord Admiral, or worth any of the praise and respect she’d received over her years of study._

_Such a talented girl you are, Jaina…_

_…Oh, Mrs. Proudmoore, she’s the top of the class…_

_…I believe such natural talent is wasted here, henceforth you shall be my apprentice…_

_…you are possibly the most powerful human mage there is._

_How many times had their commended her? How many times had people lauded her prowess and leadership and as much as she wanted to deny their claims, she’d started to believe it too. Why else would she have approached Azshara in the first place? She foolishly thought herself worth her Queen’s time._

_And Azshara had been foolish enough to believe it._

_So it was a mixture of surprise and anger when the Highbourne merely chuckled in response, shaking her head in fond exasperation and wrapping her arms around the human who froze in response._

_“Oh, sweet thing, is that how I’ve made you feel?” Azshara crooned, brushing wayward strands of hair from her face. Jaina fought the urge to lean into her palm, hating how her body, often a stranger to the loving touch these days, craved her comfort so desperately. “My dear child, I was merely fessing up to my own failure as a teacher. You are more than worthy of receiving this gift, in fact I would not dare let anyone else wield my powers in my stead. You are my only choice…” Azshara gently took her hands within hers and directed her intense amber gaze at Jaina’s eyes “…my only option.”_

_Jaina swallowed, hating the thrill of pleasure that ran through her body in response to the unusually earnest declaration from the Naga Queen. Was she this pathetic, that she now lived for validation from a person who in all logical forms should be her enemy? Either way, she drank in that praise greedily, staring up at Azshara as though she were her only lifeline to this world, though she supposed that statement wasn’t far from the truth._

_“My mistake is that we’ve been doing this all wrong. I cannot merely lend you my power as though it were some wayward toy, I need to present it as a gift, allowing you to take it on your own terms. I am sorry to have made you unnecessarily suffer from my lack of foresight.”_

_“How…” The words caught in Jaina’s throat, had Azshara just apologized to her?_

_“No. I cannot explain it verbally, I must show you. Please stand here and do not move. Close your eyes and focus on what you hear, what you feel.”_

_Jaina paused, eyeing the illusion warily. Had Azshara just said… please? The Highbourne let out an impatient sigh in response to her hesitation and in that moment became more of herself again. For some reason that brought a small smile to Jaina’s face as she allowed herself to relax, closing her eyes and finally obeying the order._

_“Good, now tell me what you can hear.”_

_Jaina frowned. “The wind, the waves, your breathing, the faint hum of arcane that makes up your illusion… strange I never noticed that until now.”_

_Azshara made a noise of confirmation and stepped closer. Jaina could hear the shift of sand and the steady hum getting louder until she was so certain of the elf’s whereabouts that she didn’t flinch when arms encircled her from behind, gently taking hold of her wrists and holding her hands against her chest._

_“What do you feel?” Jaina’s skin tingled at the touch of warm breath ghosting the shell of her right ear, the sultry tones of Azshara’s voice hitting her deep within her core. “Don’t bother saying out loud, you just need to think it.”_

_Jaina nodded absently and focused. The pressure of arms wrapped around her, the vibration of her soothing voice, the feather-light touch of each breath Azshara took, the steady thrum of magic that pulsed against her skin like a heartbeat. The caress of the wind at her exposed skin and the warmth of the sand beneath her feet. She shifted her toes, burrowing them deeper until the sand felt slightly cooler and damp to the touch. She smiled at the familiar sensation, feeling like a child again running wild amongst the shallows of the Tiagarde Sound coastline._

_“Good, I can feel you relaxing already. I want you to stay focused on your senses but keep your eyes closed. Now, imagine an orb in front of you, feel the hum of arcane, feel its strength, its promise of power.”  Jaina frowned, trying to conjure up the image and then… Yes! It was there, bristling with so much power, and the possibility of death and destruction but also life, and the capacity to make the world a better place. Flecks of arcane sparked against her fingertips when she found herself reaching in its direction. She paused, unsure of what to do next._

_“Take it,” Azshara whispered reverently. “It’s yours to have, yours to control. It wants you, wants to be part of you, used by you. It begs for your command.”_

_Jaina reached for the orb and gasped. She had been expecting pain like before, the scrape of it razor sharp against her nerves, not this wonderful rush of euphoria as it merged with her own reserves, thrumming through her veins like lifeblood. Every synapse fired, every muscle tensed and she fell against Azshara’s hold with a shuddering breath. She felt the Naga Queen’s arms tighten around her in response and a gentle smile against the sensitive skin of her neck._

_“That’s it, now open your eyes.”_

_And Jaina did and it was so bright, the spit of land, the gentle rolling waves, the sand and the breeze. It was all the same yet so different. She could now see the constructs of power that kept the makeshift island here, see the wisps of arcane that surrounded the waves as they were held back from the land, perpetually crashing against the shore but never going anywhere. She could sense the abyss of power that was Azshara behind her and part of her wanted to turn around but she felt that if she were to look upon the Queen in this state, the brightness of the arcane might blind her._

_She felt… powerful._

_“Go on then Proudmoore, it would be a shame to accept such a gift and not use it, don’t you think? Here…” She felt arms positioning her into a casting stance before dropping all contact entirely. “Let’s see if the Daughter of the Sea can shape the waves to her call.”_

_Jaina frowned before a look of fierce determination crossed her face and she began to cast. At first nothing happened, but the surface of the water gently bubbled, then churned violently before the waters retreated back, exposing sand and rock and fish that flopped uselessly on the newly uncovered ground. Gulls cried in alarm as a wave nearly a mile high formed into existence, towering over the island and casting the entirety of it in shadow. The wall of water hung there motionless for a moment, looming ominously before Jaina released the spell with a casual flick of her palm, sending the tidal wave crashing back down. Despite its monumental size it did not flood the island or disturb them in any way save for a gentle spray of water that felt deliciously refreshing against her heated skin. Jaina swallowed, the weight of what had just occurred settling squarely on her shoulders._

_She’d done that._

_“Well Proudmoore,” Even Azshara could not hide the smugness from her tone, “I do believe we just made a breakthrough.”_

 

[====]

“When I found out what you had done all those years ago back in Suramar, I thought you had truly gone mad. I spat and threw things and cursed your name in every language I knew, even the ancient dialects that no longer exist. I was furious, questioning every decision I’d made in trusting you, wondering how the Archmage of the Alliance could be so unreservedly _stupid.”_ Jaina closed her eyes as the tall shadow of Thalyssra blocked her dim view of the light. “I thought you’d betrayed us, that you’d seen the futility of our efforts and decided to jump ship.”

 

Jaina sighed. “Jump ship, no. More like attempting to tow said ship with a rope wrapped ‘round my waist while swimming against the tide.”

 

“And yet it worked.” Thalyssra chuckled, the sound slightly unnerved in the disbelief she held still to this day. “It blew my mind, the fact that you of all people went down there alone. Put yourself at the mercy of the crushing depths and the dark, hauled your life on the line with no more than a hunch and a blind hope. I would have, and I still do, declare you a fool for doing such a thing.” The Nightbourne sniffed and gracefully folded her long legs so that she was kneeled down next to Jaina’s sitting form. It was a little unfair how well maintained Thalyssra looked even after a night of drinking, her eyes were alert and bright and not a single strand of hair looked out of place. The only tell of her previous activity was the tired droop of her ears and the flash of fang as she struggled to stifle a yawn behind a delicate hand. “Many people might not wish to follow someone who would so readily throw away their life over such slim chances, but the way you carried yourself, so intense, so sure of yourself. Even I started to believe in you.”

 

Jaina groaned and rubbed her temples. “This is a little heavy for so early in the morning, is it not?”

 

“It’s going to be too heavy no matter what time of day it is. I gave you that wine last night in a hope to calm your anxiety enough to talk to me but all it seemed to do was have you drink yourself to oblivion and pass out on my floor.”

 

The human huffed miserably. “I’m sorry.”

 

Thalyssra waved a hand dismissively. “Don’t be, I didn’t exactly attempt to cut you off. If anything, I encouraged it. Like the coward I am I too wanted to forget for just one more night.”

 

Jaina sighed. She didn’t really want it to be one more night. She wanted it to be many more nights. Nights of drinking, of swapping frivolous stories, nights of passing out on foreign floors in foreign cities and waking up tangled in soft silken sheets and even softer elven skin. She… she didn’t want this. This horrible calm before the storm, the isolation and fear, the crippling hunch of her shoulders as she poised, forever waiting for the axe hanging above her head to drop. This was no life to live, no fate to wish on anyone and yet here Thalyssra was, suffering with her.

 

“I wish you hadn’t been the one to come to me.” Jaina croaked, throat sore with disuse and from holding back a sob. “I wish you could have focused on rebuilding your city, you and your people have suffered so much already. I wish that your only concerns were the cost of highway construction and how much the goblins were swindling you over the price of parts for those new pumps you have over at the vineyard. I wish…”

 

The Nightbourne gave her a sad smile and shushed her. Jaina felt tears stinging her eyes as she was pulled into a strong embrace. “My dear, silly little human. I had thousands of years in my life where my worries were small and insignificant, where my biggest fear was if my maids would dress my hair wrong or my tailors made clothes that were not as elegant as my peers. We as a nation thrived for years, but became prideful and soft, lazy in our comfort and security but,” Thalyssra gently cupped the human’s face and tilted it up so that she could look into those anxious, stormy eyes. “I was no happier than I am now. As dire as our struggles have become, as foreboding as our threats continue to be I am no worse off for it. Things that once used to greatly upset me I can laugh about it. After one has hit rock bottom it tends to humble you, put things into a much healthier perspective.” The soft smile Thaylssra wore faded and her hand slipped into those soft, mana bleached locks of the human mage and tightened her grip so she could further convey that intensity.

 

“Thalyssra…” Jaina began but the look in that powerful arcane gaze gave her cause to fall silent.

 

“When I lay in that cave dying, wasting away in the lap of a strange outlander of whom my life was completely in their hands, too weak to even feed myself, I came to the conclusion I was a better version of myself than I’d ever been before. I was suffering, yes, _oh was I suffering_ but in that pain and anger and confusion I had purpose. I knew who I was and that brought me more peace than you can possibly imagine.” Thalyssra pulled back and Jaina found herself missing the gentle warmth her embrace had brought. The air felt sharp and unwelcoming against her skin and she realized with a start it had been the longest time since she’d been out of the water.

 

“What are you trying to tell me?” Jaina whispered. As much Thalyssra scoffed at her culture’s inability to ever get to the point, honeying words until the true meaning was buried under so many sweet layers it became sickening, she too fell into the trap of giving indirect answers.

 

The First Arcanist sighed and glanced up at their two staffs discarded in the corner, leaning against one another in a scene so domestic it caught the breath in her throat. “What I’m trying to say is you and I… we don’t get the luxury of a wish. That isn’t us. Not anymore.”

 

[====]

 

_“That’ll be 13, 14, 15 aaaand there! Sixteen cases of Azerite as promised to Kul Tiras. I’d be offerin’ you more, Lady, but those Earthen Ring chumps are makin’ my life difficult.” Gallywix raised his voice so that the orc shaman in the background with tightly folded arms could clearly hear. He snorted in response while narrowing his eyes as if daring the goblin kingpin to try his patience. “Still that’s yer share as promised by decree of the Horde-Alliance pact and I ain’t givin’ you a rock more so be on your way. Unless…” a smirk further highlighted his already devious expression. “For a coin or two I can have my lot escort it for ya, our airship is fueled and ready to go. Of course, price of fuel ‘aint included so you’d have to pay that too and there’s no guarantee I can deliver the entirety of the case’s contents intact, flights can be bumpy y’know…”_

_“Enough, Trade Prince, I can take it from here.” Jaina sighed, motioning for the strong-armed troops of the Proudmoore guard to begin heaving the heavy crates on their shoulders. “Thank you for counting out what we agreed…” The Lord Admiral paused and tilted her head at Baine who also appeared to be frustrated with the whole exchange. “Wait, should I be checking these cases?”_

_The Tauren allowed a tired smile and shook his head. “I was there when he measured it all out. While I’d sooner stomp the rat, even he is not foolish enough to tempt a war so soon.”_

_Jaina nodded, placated by his words. While she might never be in a position to sit by the fire and talk peacefully as she had once done back in Theramore, she respected the gentle Chieftain and all he had done for her, maybe even trusted him a little._

_“Aw Baine and here I thought we were becomin’ friends.” Gallywix winked and motioned for his lackeys to bring forward a messy stack of papers. “Well without further ado just sign these and we are good to go-” The goblin suddenly trailed off and Jaina followed his direction of gaze until it landed on the commotion that was happening in the distance._

**_“Little Naga, did you really think you could hide in the shadows? Are you not aware it’s the very shadows you should be hiding from?”_ **

****

_Jaina fought back a shudder. That ghostly ethereal voice certainly did its job of making the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention. Sylvanas Windrunner definitely had been arduous to work with- instrumental of course, but arduous the same. The subject in which the Banshee Queen had been referring to was a terrified Nightbourne elf. She huddled in the dirt, looking so terribly slight and vulnerable despite her tall frame. While the Warchief may have sported the small and slender form of a Quel’Dorei, the iconic armour, the fiery gaze, the way she carried herself alluded to that larger than life presence that struck the fear in so many hearts. She wasn’t alone, behind her the ever-looming company of the Blightcaller and a couple of deathguards, struggling to hold the chain of, what Jaina realized with a grimace, was a ghoul. The creature, which once may have been a blacksmith or farmer snarled, pitch black eyes devoid of sanity or reason. It gnashed its teeth, unable to comprehend a purpose beyond devouring the prone form of the elf in front of it._

**_“Did you really think you could skulk under the very noses of your enemy? Your God is dead, your Queen is chained_** **_and yet here you are thinking you stand a chance at an attempt on my life. If my emotions were not so dulled I might even find the thought laughable.”_**

****

_Jaina looked on in dread as the form of the Nightbourne warped, then peeled back slowly, like a skin to reveal the true naga beneath. She was much worse for wear than her disguise had lead Jaina to believe. Scales were torn and shredded, deep scars marred her hide and mapped across her face in a criss-cross of fine slices and a thick dark blood oozed from her gills and crusted over torn fins. Her eyes were narrowed to mere slits as she gazed up at the fallen elf in muted horror._

_“Please, I merely wished to find shelter. You have stalked us to the ends of the ocean, the depths are poisoned with the blood of N’Zoth and the shallows are filled with traps, mines and those who relentlessly hunt us for sport. We…I had nowhere to go.”_

**_“So you thought you could cower amongst us, cheer alongside us as we spurned your Queen and burned the bodies of your people. Pathetic. This victory is not yours. This victory belongs to the Horde, not to some cowardly snake lying in the dirt.”_ **

****

_“We fought beside you!”_

 

 **_“You really thought us Allies?”_ ** _This time Sylvanas did laugh, the sound harsh and grating against Jaina’s ears._ **_“For millennia you have invaded our shores, ransacked our villages, plundered our trade ships and spat on mercy. Your fleeting alliance was no more than a means to an end and you are a naïve fool to have thought we would extend the hand of leniency after what your kind have done. Now, answer me this, tell me where the rest of your people are hiding and I might make your execution quick.”_ **

****

_The naga, despite her broken body and the shuddering breaths she took as her gills gulped uselessly against the heated dry air, held the Warchief’s gaze with defiance._

_“I will never tell you Shadow Witch, I will die a thousand deaths before I give up my people.” She coughed wetly and narrowed her eyes before spitting at the Warchief’s feet. “For Queen Azshara.”_

_Jaina’s heart thudded heavily in her chest and her fingers twitched to clamp over the scars of her neck as pain suddenly flared._

**_“Very well. Perhaps a little persuasion is in order, a message to those that might be watching,”_ ** _Sylvanas sounded almost bored._ **_“Release it.”_ **

****

_The ghoul wasted no time as soon as the chain was dropped, sinking to all fours and bounding over to the injured naga, ignoring her shrieks of terror as her weakened body struggled to slither away. She had no chance, the ghoul was upon her, broken rotting teeth snapping at scales and tendon and muscle, impervious to her desperate pleas and wails of pain. It was starving and so it fed._

_“Please, please. End me please, help me!” The cries were truly tortured now, shattered and inconsolable, cut off by a thin wail. Jaina watched as Baine turned away, eyes tightly closed, glanced at Gallywix as the goblin covered his ears and hummed a jaunty tune to drown out the snapping of bones._

_“I cannot stay here.” Baine murmured. “I will take my leave. Until we meet again Jaina.” The Tauren thumped a heavy fist to his chest and lumbered away, as fast as his hooves could take him. Jaina too wished to follow but she was frozen in shock, horrified blue eyes trained on the writhing form of the naga as she feverishly begged for her torment to end. The ghoul never pausing as it mindlessly shred and tore._

_“My Queen! Help me… please…” Jaina’s blood went cold and she realized the naga was looking at her. Eyes full of pleading and betrayal._

_My Queen._

_They had started using that title to refer to her as they had neared the final battle. It had made Jaina uncomfortable at first, worried at what Azshara might have taken offence. But Azshara had not seen it as an attempt to undermine her, no, she had smiled with pride, spreading her arms wide as if she were a proud artist showing off her greatest work._

_“My dear one,” she’d crooned. “Do you now see how they worship you, how they love you? They know you are mine…” Azshara had paused, a fleeting dark look crossing her indulgent expression. “…And I yours.”_

_Jaina stared into the tortured naga’s eyes. She may not have been capable of shedding tears but the mage knew pain when she saw it, knew betrayal when it was there. She’d had plenty of experience of it after all._ _The frostbolt was in her hand and flying across the expanse before she knew it, embedding through the naga’s eye and immediately silencing her screams._

_The Banshee whirled in Jaina’s direction, outraged that someone had dared to confront her orders._ **_“Proudmoore”_ ** _she snarled, red eyes flaring as her lip curled back to reveal sharp pointed fangs._ **_“Were you not instrumental to our victory, I would strike you down for showing such insolence. You are lucky that your death would cause me more of a hindrance than it’s worth, but defy my actions again and you may find an unfortunate…accident coming your way. Your welcome in Orgrimmar is overstated, be gone at once from my city.”_ **

****

**** _As the Warchief turned away Jaina noticed a flicker of movement out the corner of her eye and realized in that moment several Dark Rangers had in unison trained arrows on her, arrows that were barbed and dipped in deadly poison. She shuddered as she watched Sylvanas stalk away. That was still going to be a problem, wasn’t it? Formidable ally as she was, the Warchief wasn’t one to sit around idly. This peace would not last, once again the wheels of war would turn as they always did and Jaina wouldn’t be surprised if it was the undead elf who’d be the one to start pushing it, even if only in retaliation to the countless individuals that still wanted her head._

 

_The ghoul did not seem perturbed that its meal had stopped struggling and continued its frenzied feast. Jaina’s eyes burned. The Naga. A race cursed by their own devotion, betrayed time and time again, always on the wrong side. Was this what she was now to them, another betrayal? How many times had Azshara pledged her power, pledged her peoples service and trust only to have it thrown back in her face? No. Jaina wasn’t like that; she’d done it for the greater good. She’d done it to save Azeroth._

 

_Like Sylvanas believed she was saving everyone by damming them to undeath._

 

_Jaina glanced at the darkened hallway of Grommash Hold where the Warchief had marched into, probably already plotting her ‘unfortunate’ demise. Her stomach turned, her throat felt dry and she felt the prickle of heat flush down her spine as her nerves itched and flared. A fierce desire to rush to the sea overtook her, to dive into the depths and free Azshara, to undo the actions that suddenly felt so very wrong in her eyes. No. She’d done the right thing. The ghoul continued to feed and like the coward she was, Jaina turned away._

 

[====]

 

“Mmmm don’t eat that!” Jaina paused, lips still parted to where she’d been about to bite into the lush red fruit. Thalyssra still had her long fingers wrapped around the human’s wrist with a slightly panicked look on her face.

 

“Hmm what? Why?” Jaina’s eyes widened in alarm. “Has the strange fog tainted the food?”

 

The First Arcanist laughed, flashing white teeth as she let go of Jaina’s wrist and stepped back. “No, _stars no_ , it’s just incredibly spicy.”

 

The market was packed, despite the strange weather and the unseasonal chill to the air. The citizens of Suramar were busy, the city bustling and Jaina felt proud to see it thriving so well under her friend’s leadership. Carts rumbled down freshly tiled streets, heavily stocked with piles of cloth-wrapped cheese and barrels of wine. Blood Elves perused the fruit stand, trying to appear unimpressed despite the fact that their eyes hungrily drank in the shimmering of magic that infused the sweet flesh of the arcberries. A Tauren bickered with a haughty looking jewellery merchant over the price of a gold cuff bracelet, the elf seemed upset at the fact that she wanted to wear it on her horn rather than a wrist. There was even a Pandaren stand, serving generous bowls of steaming fresh noodles, the cold weather attracting a sizeable crowd. A couple of Draenei were amicably walking arm in arm, admiring the architecture. This scene in front of her, it looked good. It reminded her of what she’d been fighting for.

 

Jaina eyed the berry in her hand dubiously, half expecting it to grow fangs and leap at her. “I mean… I can handle spice.”

 

“No, trust me. You don’t just bite into one of these. You squirt the juice over a dish to add a kick, maybe include the seeds if you’re feeling adventurous. You absolutely do not eat it by itself, who even gave you that idea?”

 

Jaina narrowed her eyes, glancing back over her shoulder at the stall merchant who was trying very hard not to look in their direction but the barely contained smirk on his lips quickly gave him away. Thalyssra let out an exasperated huff.

 

“Almon what did I tell you about poisoning the tourists!” The merchant’s smirk turned into a full on grin and he turned to face them, hands up in surrender and ears folded back in relaxed submission.

 

“Forgive me First Arcanist, I thought it would be funny. Stars know we need some humor with how strange the atmosphere has been lately.” His face softened as he turned toward the human. “I _am_ sorry Lady Proudmoore, it is a terrible habit I have picked up to amuse myself.”

 

“Yes please forgive him. It seems, even now, having visitors in the city greatly excites the man. So much so, that he would risk sullying fledgling alliances for the sake of comedy.” Almon tried to look affronted but the smile broke through and he gave a mock bow.

 

“Well it seems your perceptiveness has once again thwarted my plans Thalyssra, though I will add it’s not nearly as bad as people make out.”

 

“You told me it would be a culinary journey.” Jaina raised an unamused eyebrow. 

 

“Yes a culinary journey indeed. A culinary trip to the bathroom more like,” Thalyssra muttered dryly before she flashed her fangs in a downright wicked grin. “Well what shall we do Jaina, to punish such a bold attempt at assassinating my esteemed visitor’s taste buds?”

 

*

 

Whether it was boredom or desperation for a break from the terse, muted atmosphere, there was now a sizeable crowd gathered around Almon as the Nightbourne merchant loosened limbs and squared his shoulders as if sizing up an enemy for combat. In front of him the dried berries sat neatly in a pot, looking remarkably innocent though, if Almon’s trepidation was to suggest, it was clear they were anything but.

 

“Witness everyone as our brave food vendor takes on a challenging, most _dangerous_ task in a bid to win back the favour of our esteemed guest Lady Proudmoore.” A soft murmur of recognition ran through the crowd as many of the market-goers craned their necks to look at her clearly excited at the prospect of catching a glimpse of the reclusive human Archmage. “The nightbite berry is famous for its ability to bring even the most hardened spice connoisseur to their knees. For too long has this seemingly innocent vendor tricked many a humble tourist in a bid to satisfy his devious nature and we shall be fooled no longer, for now is the time he shall atone for his crimes.”

 

A buzz of amused chuckles filled the air and Jaina stifled a grin. Thalyssra, in all her serious and no-nonsense attitude, was one hell of a showman when she wanted to be. “What he gave you might have been bad but in comparison, these ones are downright lethal. Dried and preserved for their potentency.” Thalyssra murmured aside to Jaina and the human nodded is mock seriousness.

 

“You have my favour and good fortune.” Jaina nodded in Almon’s direction and tried to mimic the First Arcanist’s showy tone but it ended up sounding flat when she realized that she was almost worried for the poor man. “This won’t… hurt him will it?”

 

Thalyssra laughed. “Stars no, but it will put him in a world of discomfort for the day.”

 

Almon dipped his head solemnly in response and sucked in an unsteady breath. “Have a pitcher of milk ready for me” he growled and scooped the berries in his palm. “ _Shanar Daloras_ , I can feel them stinging my eyes already!”

 

The crowd began to chant, Jaina leaned forward almost captivated. _Tides,_ was she so starved for fun that watching this was now considered entertainment? Almon knocked back the berries in a quick gulp, minimizing his chewing as much as possible. The crowd fell silent, waiting for his reaction. The vendor paused before a triumphant grin lit up his face and he stuck out his tongue to prove his mouth was empty. People began to cheer.

 

“Hah that wasn’t so bad…oh stars its… its…Thalyssra, the milk quickly!” The crowd devolved into raucous laugher and Jaina joined in as the regal Shal’Dorei hopped around, flapping his arms and gesturing frantically for the jug to be brought in his direction.

 

“Milk, water, anything!” He gasped, voice unusually pitched as tears streamed from his eyes. “Please.”

 

“Almon how’d it taste?” The Pandaren jeered, wiping his hands on his apron and handing over a jug of pearl milk. He snorted as it was hastily snatched from his hands.

 

The Nightbourne wiped his face after a few unsteady gulps. “ _Tor’theras Falar_ …Like Naga shit.”

 

More howls of laughter. Jaina felt her smile fade a little.

 

“That’s depraved…” his stall neighbour teased, “How’d you know what Naga shit even tastes like?”

 

“I don’t!” Almon backtracked, “But like anything that comes from those vile creatures it’s probably foul.”

 

Laughter. Uninhibited and without remorse. The crowd was steadfast in their agreement.

 

“Maybe we best start feeding dem berries to the naga prisoners. Maybe dey show a little respect after dat” A troll heckled at the back of the group.

 

More laughter. More crows of agreement. Suddenly the scene that Jaina loved so much before became twisted. The Troll, the Tauren, the Elf, the Pandaren, the Draenei… it might look like peace on the surface but their unity pointed to a much more sinister reason. It was hatred, a mutual revulsion toward a common enemy that was the only thing from keeping them from each other’s throats. It all suddenly made sense. Why Sylvanas made a show of publically executing the Naga in front of everyone in the most degenerate way. Why Anduin, a man who believed in seeing the best in everyone spouted such zealous abhorrence in regard to the species. Peace was never an option, not unless people had something else in common to hate. A scapegoat.

 

Jaina felt sick. For someone who prided herself in knowledge how could she have been this stupid.

 

Suddenly the cheerful nature the market became hostile to her, the sounds too loud, the people too close. Squawks of laughter grated on her ears as Almon danced around, still groaning from the fire in his mouth. She could smell damp leather and sweat from the crowding bodies that now pushed past her, feel the way her clothes stuck to her skin from the humid air. The Pandaren threw a glug of oil into the wok and it hissed loudly, sending a thick plume of steam into the air. Jaina jolted from the sudden noise. Her eyes darted around, desperate to focus on something, _anything_ to ground herself but all she could see was flashes of colour, shapes, scents. Too many at once. Her hand slipped from Thalyssra’s.

 

She needed. She needed to just…

 

“Jaina?” Thalyssra questioned but she’d already muttered the incantation. The teleportation spell swirled around her and the crowd fell silent as a burst of unsteady arcane rippled in the air. Jaina took a deep breath to tamp down on her emotions and steady the invocation before letting it fold around her body. All too eagerly, the arcane flared bright and whisked her away.

 

[====]

 

_“Ah there she is…” Azshara crooned indulgently as she roused from her meditative state at the sound of the human’s footsteps in the sand. The Naga Queen greeted her with a warm smile. “Ishnu-alah,Thero’shan.”_

_Jaina blushed, hating how that sultry tone of voice seemed to seep into her pores and ripple down her spine in a soft caress. “Ishnu-alah, Shan’do.” She replied, bowing and Azshara let out a pleased hum._

_“Hows your painfully dreary life on the surface?” She drawled, not looking up from her claws as she inspected them. Jaina rolled her eyes. Everything Azshara did was such a show. That aloof disinterest, the delicate way she held herself, poised and slightly disdainful as though everything Jaina did or said was a mild annoyance at best. It might have knocked the human’s confidence had Jaina not known better and she smirked as she noticed from the slight twitch of lips that Azshara was much more pleased to see her than she outwardly let on._

_“It’s been a nightmare” Jaina sighed. “People are growing suspicious, desperate. Tempers are rising and starting to wonder if our demise will even be at the hands of the Old Gods or are we more likely to just devolve into chaos and annihilate each other instead.” The human kicked despondently at the sand, jaw tense and eyes glaring out at the horizon. She didn’t even flinch as long arms took her by the waist and pulled, spinning her around effortlessly so she was leaning with her back pressed against smooth, damp skin._

_“Tell me all about it.” Azshara swept the braid over Jaina’s shoulder and the human allowed herself to be manoeuvred to the point that she was nestled in Azshara’s ‘lap’ and cradled tightly against a cool body._

_“Malfurion is ill, Tyrande is… not of a stable mind and it doesn’t help that…that… tides whatever you’re doing it feels amazing…” Jaina closed her eyes as she felt the tingle of Azshara’s power down her spine, the brushing of signatures as pure arcane met ice._

_“Hmm then I will continue to do it, keep talking.” Azshara purred._

_Jaina swallowed loudly before continuing, “S-she’s whipped Genn up into a rabid frenzy, barking in Anduin’s ear to direct resources away from the main war effort.”_

_Azshara let out a genuine chuckle and began to curl a lock of silver hair around one long finger. “Interesting choice of words there little human. Though I suppose it’s hard to expect a dog to act civilized, after all he is but an unfortunate result of druidic meddling, and they had the nerve to accuse ME of going against nature.” The Naga Queen sighed plaintively and Jaina stifled a groan as another seductive wave of arcane rippled through her body. Whatever Azshara was doing felt amazing, better than any massage, it was as if each nerve ending was being stimulated and soothed at once and the human mage couldn’t get enough of it. “Malfurion is but a naive fool and Tyrande” Azshara licked her lips and grinned. “Tyrande is a wild thing, unaware and uncaring of the world and its politics beyond her forests, the epitome of her kind really. Lazy, stagnant, petrified of change, but,” and her grin widened, “Flush a sleeping she-wolf out of her den and you watch how she bares her fangs.”_

_At once the waves seemed to crash harder against the shore and the sun beat down more violently on her bare shoulders. Jaina closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, euphoria forgotten. “Have you always had your hand in every tide forsaken event that’s occurred?”_

_“Not at all, I just know who is listening and when to whisper…and that little Warchief held so much… rage.”_

_“People burned, Azshara” Jaina felt her throat constrict, even as she made no move to pull away from the Naga Queen’s embrace._

_“People always burn, Lord Admiral, it’s up to you to decide how many.”_

_Jaina flexed her fingers, stared at the tiny grains of sand and imagined each one a soldier, trapped screaming under the heat of the unforgiving sun._

_“I think we should train now.” The human spat and Azshara sighed and dropped her arms so that Jaina could free herself from her embrace._

_“Yes, I agree we should.”_

_*_

_Jaina snarled and threw a flurry of missiles in Azshara’s direction, cursing as yet another illusion faded to mist and her attacks exploded uselessly against the ground, sending plumes of sand into the air._

_“You’re losing your touch, little mage. I would have thought you’d have figured it out by now.” Azshara’s voice echoed all around her, giving away no hint as to reveal which one of her images was real._

_“I’m trying,” she hissed, cursing again when three more illusions disappeared. “I can’t get a read on the signature, its… it’s like each one is unique.”_

_“N’Zoth is all about illusions and mind games, what he lacks in raw strength he more than makes up for in intelligence and deception, this is but child’s play in comparison to what he is capable of. You need to be prepared to see the pattern, even amongst the chaos.”_

_Jaina paused, her mind working overtime to understand but it only became more confusing. Every time Azshara created a new illusion, the constructs of mana and arcane in each split life force was created seemingly at random. The threads that wove the illusions together were as intricate and unsystematic as a real life force signature. Jaina had learned to spot cloning illusions based on small giveaways that many prismatic images held- you could see the design factor in their arcane signature. Even those that had intentionally been made chaotic still had remnants of intentional purpose within their schematic. She was fast becoming an expect on instantly discerning what was real and what was not, but this, this was pure chaos. She had no hope of figuring it out and all the while Azshara was creating more, overwhelming her from all directions._

_Something prickled at her scalp and she ducked just in time for a frostbolt to whizz over her head followed by several more, she rolled away and scrambled upright to find clear ground only to discover her escape blocked by an ice wall. She managed to get a barrier up with milliseconds to spare before the barrage shattered against it._

_“Oh I can see the charm in it now, frost mage. That was fun.”_

_“Oh fuck you.” Jaina growled as amused laughter echoed in her ears._

_More missiles whizzed her way and Jaina decided to pull her reserves into something more measured than wildly flinging attacks at anything that moved. While the steady stream of power Azshara had been feeding into her gifted her more mana than she’d ever had access to in her life, she still knew that conservation was key for who knew how long the battle would last._

_She spent some time constructing a barrier so she would have a little time to think and was rewarded with a pleased hum._

_“Finally she treats this as more than a game.”_

_“It was never a game to me!” Jaina snapped while pouring more motes of her power into building a second lattice to help channel her attacks yet still keeping her protected._

_“Could have fooled me, you’ve been treating this task like one of those Darkmoon Faire amusements, what was that stupid name they called it… ‘whack a gnoll?’”_

_Jaina choked. “How Light’s name do you know about ‘whack a gnoll’ of all things?”_

_“Tried it once, dreadfully easy. Won the grand prize first try.”_

_“How did you even manage to visit…wait never mind, you’re YOU- ‘how’ isn’t even a question. More importantly, why did you even decide to visit.” Jaina’s eyes shifted downwards, an idea slowly forming in her head as she began tracing a rune on the ground. Now to just keep Azshara distracted and talking…_

_“To see what the fuss was about, as usual with all you land dwellers it was mind-numbingly pointless. For an event that revolves around entertainment, I was bored to death.”_

_“Of course because everything’s so fucking tedious to you isn’t it.” Jaina threw a few more missiles, striking more illusions as they misted away._

_“Wrong, guess again.” Azshara’s voice betrayed any emotion. Jaina felt her ears ring as her vision dimmed to a red haze._

_“Because that’s all we are aren’t we, boring, pathetic, squabbling. Oh this must all just be so… beneath you.” Jaina grunted and threw out a nova of frost, the air around her imploded with a pop and she felt her ears ache with the sudden change in pressure. More illusions shattered, even more came to replace them. “I wonder how you even try to care at this point if it’s all so trivial. The Darkmoon Faire, Horde, Alliance, a World Tree…” Jaina spat the last word and shards of ice sliced through the air. She imagined them impaling Azshara, imagined droplets of blood smattering against her strange, smooth skin, pictured what her face would look like contorted in rage or pain or fear. “Would it ever kill you to fucking…feel something!” Jaina activated the rune and suddenly every attack that had been railing against her shield became information. That attack was mirrored, so was that one and… there. The frost bolt’s signature was the original and not a copy like the others had been and Jaina followed it back to the source. Blue eyes locked with burning orange and Jaina watched as Azshara’s pupils narrowed to mere slits._

_The next attack came so swift and violent even Jaina was surprised and before she knew it, several icicles that had been hovering above her head flew in quick succession toward their target, embedding themselves in fins and flesh and muscle. Azshara cried out in pain and slumped, tentacles writhing as she scrambled back in the sand. Had she not been so furious, Jaina might have been shocked to a standstill to have actually landed the hit, but all she could see was Azshara on the ground, Azshara at her mercy. Jaina blinked forward and was leaning over the Naga Queen, voice thin with rage as she snarled in her face._

_“I know you care for no-one but yourself, but if you want this partnership to last, the least you could do is aid me in fighting for what I care about. You are not helping by whispering this poison in my ears at how I’m fighting for nothing because it’s not nothing, it’s everything. My homeland my people, tides even the Horde. It all means something, even if you have forgotten…” Jaina’s voice was cut off as a wall of force, greater than anything she’d ever conjured threw her body back like a ragdoll, sending her tumbling several times, kicking up stones and sand and knocking the wind out of her. She lay on the ground, struggling to breathe and staring dazed up at the sun, which was quickly blotted out by a very terrifying Naga Queen as she loomed over Jaina with fury in her many eyes._

_“You insolent human. Of course I care. I’ll admit not for your people but for those that live down there, below the waves. The people I have done everything for!”_

_Jaina coughed weakly, grimacing at mouthful of sand she’d swallowed while being haphazardly tossed across the beach. “Azshara…” she tried to rasp but the Naga Queen cut her off._

_“I doomed them all, my poor, perfect, beautiful subjects. I resided them to this fate because of my mistakes. Below the sea, trapped under that crushing weight of countless leagues of water all I wanted to do was die, to know peace, but I saw my people Jaina. They were drowning, they looked at me to help them and I failed.” Azshara’s voice broke off into a sob before she pulled herself on her tentacles to further lean over Jaina, wicked fangs bared in a snarl. “I knew what I was getting into when N’Zoth started whispering to me, I knew that while he might declare me a Queen in name I was still but a pawn in his plan, a mere plaything that he would no sooner toss aside once I’d outgrown my use. But I had to do something.” Azshara hissed the last word as Jaina spat the last of the sand out of her mouth, staring up in mute terror. “We are twisted, warped, trapped in these hideous forms below the waves but we are alive and I would do anything to spare my people the fate he had planned for us if I’d have refused.”_

_“You had no choice.” Jaina whispered and Azshara closed her eyes and leaned back, bowing her head solemnly._

_“I had no choice but it does not make it any less my fault.”_

_“You just want to save your people.”_

_Azshara clenched her jaw. “No matter the cost…”_

_Jaina nodded and attempted to sit upright, despite how every muscle in her body seemed to protest at once._

_“I…okay… I can work with that.” She breathed, relieved. It felt good to finally somewhat understand Azshara’s motives, good to share some common ground even if their concerns were vastly different._

_“You can? How kind of you” Azshara drawled, raising one eyebrow and Jaina found herself grinning up at her Queen, pleased to obtain at least a weak smile in return._

_“I’m sorry if I hurt you.” Jaina winced as Azshara waved a hand, yanking the icicles from her body in one swift motion._

_“Oh it will take a lot more than that to injure me little mage. Though I believe judging by the way you are clutching your ribs, we are somewhat even.”_

_“You could say that,” Jaina grimaced, knowing that by nightfall her entire left side of her body was likely to be purple and yellow with bruising._

_“Hm allow me,” and before Jaina had a chance to protest, long fingers wrapped around her side and she nearly whimpered at the cooling touch of magic soothing away her aches. The human nodded her thanks and for a while they sat together in silence, aware of nothing but the gentle rush of waves and the steady thrum of the arcane that connected them._

_“You’re not hideous you know.” Jaina eventually mumbled and Azshara sighed, dropping her clawed hand from her side._

_“No need to spare my feelings human, this body is but a bitter mockery of my former self, an abhorrent creation of an Old God. I have come to terms with what we have physically become but I will not rest until my people are granted their freedom.”_

_Jaina saw past it, saw the tortured gaze of an impossible vain ruler who’d once sat draped across a decadent and jewelled throne as people openly knelt and wept at her beauty. Saw how it pained her to look upon her subjects and see them so plainly wear their curse, still so loyal despite how their Queen had doomed them to such a fate._

_“Do you remember one of the first things I said to you when I first laid eyes on you.” Jaina’s hand shook as she reached up to gently trace along a jawline, marvelling at how soft and cool the skin felt against her fingertips._

_“You mean the time when you were trapped at my mercy begging for my help.” Azshara chuckled dryly but interestingly made no effort to move away, still keeping her face within the human’s reach._

_“Did you not believe my words to be genuine?” Jaina questioned, bravely holding that burning orange gaze. Azshara narrowed her eyes before smiling wryly._

_“Oh I don’t doubt the truth in your words, just your sanity.”_

_Jaina laughed before her face took on a more serious expression. “Why did you want me to be your wife?”_

_“Is it not obvious?”_

_Jaina frowned. “Not really, no.”_

_Azshara gently clasped hold of her wrist and Jaina watched, slightly dazed that even gently crooked as they were, those long fingers could practically wrap around the entirety of her arm. “Humans and Elves, we are not so different in some aspects, especially when it comes to this. Marriage, while a declaration of love to some, it is more often than not a contract between parties. A legal binding for families of nobility, a tie to share wealth, protection, stability-” Azshara paused before tightening her grip on Jaina’s wrist. “A way of uniting kingdoms.”_

_Jaina loathed the disappointment that flowed through her._

_“It won’t work you know,” Jaina replied bitterly. “My life to the Alliance as a whole is not as vital as you think and that’s not even taking into account that the Horde simply won’t care. If you mean to protect your people from another war on the account that we even survive this one then you will need far more than a marriage contract to bargain with.”_

_“Oh it will work, you will see. You sell yourself worryingly short and underestimate how much your people care for you.”_

_Jaina scoffed and looked away. “You know nothing of what people think of me.”_

_“Don’t I? Lord Admiral, Daughter of the Sea…”_

_“One is a title bestowed upon me in times of need, the other is a warning to not to trust me. I fail to see your logic in this.”_

_Azshara growled. “And you fail to see your potential.”_

_“What potential, I am but a tool in this grand scheme. You’re good you know, those whispers of praises, those honeyed words- it’s enough to make anyone feel special, feel like they are something… but I know better.” Jaina momentarily glared at the ground to collect herself before redirecting that sharp gaze back at Azshara. “I am lucky that for now our goals align but once this is all over, for better or for worse I am but a slave you will discard at the nearest opportunity.”_

_“How dare you accuse me of-”_

_“And why not!” Jaina interrupted, tone petulant and sharp. “That what you do.”_

_Azshara’s lip curled over her canines, her expression downright murderous. “You know nothing about me.”_

_“Then tell me, what could you possibly be planning that’s so- mmph”_

_Jaina had not been expecting Azshara to kiss her. And suddenly it was all she could focus on. The overwhelming sensation of lips and fang and tongue and the heady weight of a cool body suddenly pressed against her. Fingers dug into sand, legs wrapped around the Naga’s slender waist and Jaina let out a deep, muffled groan as an insistent tongue parted her lips, long and dextrous and exploring her mouth with ease, curling around her own tongue and tracing across blunt human teeth. Instinctively her legs parted and she mewled a downright pathetic sound when the cool touch of a tentacle slid up her leg before pressing, teasingly against the apex of her thighs through the thin fabric of her clothing. Jaina bucked her hips and in response the tentacle pressed harder. Azshara let out a husky groan, the sound shooting straight to Jaina’s core before her lips dropped to the human’s neck, kissing and sucking at where her pulse beat frantically. Jaina couldn’t help but begin to grind against her, desperately seeking out the delicious pressure that the tentacle teased. Two arms slid under her body to cradle her, one arm wrapped around the small of her back while the other cupped her rear, pushing her impossibly closer as more tentacles wrapped around her calves and thighs, encouraging her legs to spread wider as another set of arms hooked their claws around the waistband of Jaina’s breeches as if to pull them down. Azshara opened her mouth and Jaina felt hot breath against the shell of her ear before gasping at the tease of impossibly sharp fangs against the sensitive skin of her neck._

_“Azhsara” she begged and it was like a spell was broken. The Queen groaned at the reverant mention of her name and pressed her teeth down harder to the point of breaking skin before she suddenly pulled back, arms releasing Jaina and tentacles slithering from her body. Jaina whined in outrage at the loss._

_She watched as Azshara’s stared at her with something akin to shame and horror before blinking backwards into the waves and ducking beneath them with an impressive dive. Jaina barely had time to scramble upright before the arcane enveloped her and she was dumped back amongst the briny shallows of the Kul’Tiran coastline. Disorientated and spluttering, she coughed seawater from her lungs and frantically brushed the sand from her thighs. Her neck still smarted from the near-bite Azshara had given her and she whimpered at the ache and slickness between her thighs. She stared up at the clouds, shivering at the sudden chill from the wind before flopping back down in the sand, frustrated and confused._

_What the fuck had just happened._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations if anyone cares (loosely based on the language lore for both Shalassian and Darnassian with some speculation)
> 
> Shanar Daloras! : Heavens above! (direct translation: high kingdom of stars!) 
> 
> Ishnu-alah,Thero’shan: Greetings respected student (formal)
> 
> Ishnu-alah, Shan’do: Greetings respected teacher (formal)
> 
> Tor’theras Falar: Unknown (uttered by Shal’Dorei when vanquished/slain)


	3. Fish on a Hook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaina starts to face the reality of falling for Azshara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry this chapter took so long to publish but I'm not a wuss and I will finish things. 
> 
> It's nearly 15k words so its pretty damn hefty so I hope that somewhat makes up for it? It's here for those that are still interested anyhow! 
> 
> There is some minor sexy stuff later on in the chapter, if mild monster fucking aint your thing I totally get it, you can just skim read past that part xD I'll give more warnings for next chapter as well since that will be a little more...graphic.

Jaina strode along the rocks with an angry purpose. For what goal, she had no idea but the capacity to maintain any semblance of reason was lost on her. The sky darkened, the whip of the wind stung her cheeks and lashed wayward strands of pale hair across her face. Her heeled boots dug into the ground as she turned and faced the ocean horizon.

 

“Fuck!” She snarled at nothing in particular. Either way it felt good to just shout.

 

A flash of light caught the corner of her eye and the tense human almost pulled up a counter spell in reflex before scolding herself and letting her arms flop back against her sides, the dismissed spell drifting from her fingers like tendrils of steam. Thalyssra did not approach further than the point she had warped, merely glanced in the human’s direction before gracefully sinking to a cross-legged position, pulling the staff from her back and balancing it evenly across her knees.

 

Jaina deliberated a moment before begrudgingly wandering in her direction, feeling much like a cowed dog nervously approaching its owner after having snapped at their hand. She flopped down next to the First Arcanist, far less gracefully, discarding her staff next to her as it hit the sand with a dull thud. She settled with a pout as she hugged her knees to her chest. Thalyssra merely flicked an ear in acknowledgment before continuing to look at the dark horizon, clearly waiting for the human to make the first move.

 

For a brief moment Jaina despised her.

 

She hated how much grace and calm one person could allude- to the point that it seeped from her very aura, soothing the fired up mage with its presence alone. Hated that, without meaning to, Thalyssra sometimes made her feel very much like a child.

 

“Feel any better?” The elf’s smooth voice questioned as she tilted her head and Jaina ducked away from that soft glowing gaze, opting instead to glare at the ground.

 

“Not really.” Her throat felt tight, her voice weak and rough.

 

“Hmm.”

 

The two stared in silence as the final rays of daylight slipped from the horizon. No longer overshadowed by the sun, red and green lights started to blink brightly in the distance and Thalyssra let out a weary sigh, clearly giving up waiting for Jaina to be the one to talk first. 

 

“The goblins put up those lights in order to direct their steam-boats into our harbor. I saw them ship it in- big, sturdy metal structures with these huge spotlights attached that block out the very stars in the sky if you sail too close. Like all things goblin they are hideously ugly but they serve their purpose, very functional for those less accustomed to maneuvering trade ships within the bay.”

 

Jaina nodded absently, not really caring much for Thalyssra’s words other than enjoying the comforting gentleness of her tone and her steady presence beside her.

 

“Care to destroy them?”

 

Now _that_ got her attention. Jaina perked up and shot her friend a quizzical look. With a flourish of her robes, Thalyssra stood so that Jaina had to crane her neck to keep her eyes on her face.

 

“Come, it will do you good to let off steam.”

 

Jaina, still wary of her friend’s slightly eccentric idea, allowed Thalyssra to grab her wrist and pull her upright. She stumbled, but without missing a beat, the Shal’dorei caught her by the waist and spun so she was facing the blinking lights out on the dark horizon, steadying her by the shoulders. Jaina was tall for a human but in comparison to her Nightborne friend she felt tiny, exposed and vulnerable. Thalyssra smiled softly and placed a comforting hand on her back before pulling away, the runic markings of her tattoos glowing as she began to channel a spell that danced and crackled from the delicate veins of her wrists to her fingertips.

 

Thalyssra gestured toward the pole expectantly before letting out an amused huff at the humans stubborness as Jaina folded her arms and raised a single pale eyebrow.  

 

“Very well, I shall go first.” 

 

The arcane missiles burst out, reflecting beautifully off the dark water as they streaked across the waves. They hit the metallic structure of the beacon in a shower of purple sparks and Jaina gazed at the display, mesmerized. Thalyssra’s magic always manifested itself so prettily with its purplish tones and silver-white glimmers, yet no less deadly or effective. With a practiced flourish, the First Arcanist flicked her wrist, ending the spell before shooting an encouraging look in her friend’s direction. “Don’t leave me looking like a fool Jaina, join in.”

 

The human sighed and soon her own icy missiles joined the fray, projectiles that were so wickedly sharp and fast that they tore ragged holes in the metal while some simply exploded into crystalline shards. Her projectiles weren’t delicate or pretty like her elven counterpart’s, but no less beautiful in their deadly, needle like structure and eerie glacier-blue glow. Thalyssra, not to be outdone, channeled her magic into something more potent. The air around them dropped in pressure and became charged, causing their ears to ache and the fine hairs on their arms to stand upright. It became a race, each spell out doing the previous. The pole had long since been obliterated and soon their targets became the waves, the distant shore, even the very cliffs themselves. Jaina let out a sharp laugh as a sizable chunk of rock slid into the water. Thalyssra gasped and shot her a severe glare and for a second Jaina thought she’d gone too far, before graceful lips quirked into a cheeky smile. Thalyssra’s eyes glowed white as she began to trace runes in the air.

 

“If you’re going to ruin my bay Proudmoore, at least do it properly!” With a snap of immense power, something imploded-, the shockwave nearly dragging Jaina off her feet. Even more rocks tumbled into the waves, sending up a mighty splash and Thalyssra thumped her fist against her chest in a very elven salute before sending a smug look in Jaina’s direction. “See if you can top that.”

 

“Top that?” Jaina gasped as though chastised even as her lips curled into a smirk. “Do you not know who I am?”

 

“Oh I thought I did,” Thalyssra baited, mischief gleaming in the arcane glow of her eyes, “But for the great Archmage of the Alliance, Saviour of Azeroth you are acting awfully _tame._ ”

 

That did it. Jaina’s smirk widened into a grin, lips curled over her strange fangs and eyes glowed a sinister blue. Thalyssra’s smile faded slightly. What _had_ Azshara done to her? Tendrils of arcane curled around her wrists, sparking at her fingertips and condensing in her palm, a tiny yet staggeringly potent point of magic. Jaina sucked in a wavering breath, struggling against its might as she steadily let it build and Thalyssra realized with a start that the human was starting to chant. Mages of her and Jaina’s caliber rarely needed to verbalize their incantations, so when they did, it could only mean it was in lieu of something experimental, or extremely powerful.  

 

Thalyssra took a step back.

 

“ _Tal anu’men no Quel’Dorei, gall’mak vendel’anu… Zin-Azshari adore!”_ Jaina’s voice broke on the last sentence but it did little to deter the surge of arcane after the final word was uttered. Thalyssra gasped. What a strange dialect! So similar to her own language yet vastly removed- the implication of the words danced at the fringes of her mind as though she understood them yet if she directly focused, their meaning became lost. And the power! Thalyssra could still feel it, electric in the air as though something significant had changed but she couldn’t not yet make out what it was.

 

“What have you…?” Thalyssra began to ask but Jaina held up a hand, expression worryingly cold and devoid of emotion.

 

“You will see.” Her voice echoed, still reverberating power and for a moment Thalyssra felt wary of the person who stood beside her. It wasn’t until she broke her gaze free of Jaina that she realized she could no longer see the moon.

 

“Jaina” she hissed, voice laced with worry. “Call off your spell.”

 

Jaina did not respond, only shifting her stance as her eyes flared brighter.

 

The wall of water, black as ink on the horizon, blotting out the very heavens, was fast approaching her city. Thalyssra glanced at it once in disbelief before turning back to the human. “Jaina, I repeat, call off your spell.”

 

The tidal wave peaked and with it Thalyssra’s anxiety. She looked to her ally, her steady dependable human friend. Jaina was someone she knew she could trust- with her life if it called for it- but as the wave continued it’s approach she found her ears flattening against her skull and fresh beads of sweat breaking out at her hairline.

 

The people of Suramar would be at peak activity, many would be busying themselves with opening up the night markets while the citizens who had now opted for more diurnal approach would be hunkering down in the warmth of their living spaces, sipping at honeyed tea or wine and curling up amongst soft pillows, bellies full and readying themselves for sleep. They wouldn’t even have time to see it before their city was buried under a mile of freezing black ocean. The wall of water was close now, close enough she could smell the sharp scent of brine and hear the menacing roar of the surf.

 

“Jaina!”

 

Something snapped and the wave collapsed in on itself, seeming to disappear save for the crash of a few angry breakers against the shoreline they were standing on. Thalyssra gulped in some unsteady breaths and it was the human’s turn to offer her support as her long legs stumbled in the suspiciously dry sand.

 

“Jaina… _Shanar daloras_ you have aged me by a century!” Thalyssra struggled to compose herself and the human rubbed a hand on her back in a silent apology.

 

“It was a spell Azshara taught me.” Jaina eventually offered as she let Thalyssra gather her breaths. “One of many that promised death and destruction.” The human clenched her casting hand into a fist as though she were still fighting that very temptation to this day. “These spells were never designed to harm N’Zoth for what would another crushing wave do to the God who resided beneath them… these were designed as an attack on those who dared dwell on land, those who defied to adhere to her plans if we were to succeed.”

 

“So she wished to turn her own fate against us.”

 

Jaina closed her eyes. “I believe so, yes.”

 

Thalyssra sighed. “Even before you told me all those years ago, I suspected, I _knew._ Azshara saw a weakness in her God, but instead of recognizing it as hope or salvation, she merely viewed it as _opportunity.”_ Thalyssra spat the word. “Join us or drown, I suppose that was her manifesto.”

 

Jaina’s fingers darted to her neck, fingertips gently tracing along the raw scars at her neck. The movement did not go unnoticed by Thalyssra who narrowed her violet eyes.

 

“That’s the thing. She never did say it was her goal.” Jaina whispered. “I only saw the signs and acted accordingly.”

 

“You made the right decision Jaina, who knows what turmoil we’d be in now if we had allowed her to escape. Even now Suramar might already be below the waves, Boralus, Stormwind… all naught but lonely ruins in the dark abyss.”

 

“But what if I’m wrong?” Jaina hissed. “What if she never had planned it, what if our actions… _my_ actions have tempted that fate now. What if by so desperately avoiding it, I’ve only triggered the events to make it happen! What if…”

 

“Jaina” Thalyssra place a hand on her shoulder to interrupt her stream of dialogue and let out a pained sigh. “You do not truly know Azshara.”

 

“Don’t I?” the human challenged and for the first time in over a decade the easygoing atmosphere between them became charged and cold.

 

Thalyssra set her shoulders and jutted her chin out in that condescending expression that so many elves did in her presence. Jaina despised that look with every fiber of her being. “I’ve known Azshara for millennia, lived under her rule for countless generations before your race even…”

 

“No” Jaina snapped. “Don’t you dare make that comparison, I am sick to death of it. Yes you have lived longer, _congratulations,_ but were you the one who went down there alone, begging for her council? Were you there when she _listened?_ Were you there when she cried for her people in my arms? Were you there when she-” Jaina cut herself off, blood roaring in her ears, her heart thumping loud and unsteady. She’d said too much.

 

Understanding and pity crossed Thalyssra’s face and that was even worse. The Nightbourne approached Jaina, as though she were a skittish mare ready to bolt or kick. “You loved her.” Jaina grit her teeth and looked down, flinching when Thalyssra’s gentle hands took hold of her, slowly guiding her head so that it lay against her chest. The skin, uncovered by the loose collar of her robes, was warm against Jaina’s pallid cheek. “I loved her once too, we all did. She was very easy to love.”

 

Jaina hadn’t cried in years, at least not where tears fell as freely as they did now but once she started it seemed she was unable to stop. Ugly, broken sobs wrenched from her frail shoulders, trembling arms wrapped around her torso and she curled into Thalyssra’s warmth, closing her eyes as wave after wave of pain broke free of the dam she’d been carefully maintaining for as long as she could remember.

 

 _I can’t do this anymore._ Jaina’s thoughts echoed, empty and broken. _I’m not strong enough, I’m wasting away here- cut off from the sea, cut off from her. I… it would be so much easier not to love her if I knew she’d never loved me back._ Resting against Thalyssra’s chest, Jaina’s eyes opened and her jaw clenched. _But she did. We loved each other...so much._ Eventually her sobs faded into unsteady breaths and she let Thalyssra hold her, warm and secure in the dark.

 

“I need to fix this.” Jaina whispered and even that sounded harsh after the blissful moment of silence the two had shared in their desperate embrace. The human laughed once, resigned and bitter. “After all, what kind of Archmage would I be if I don’t have a solution for everything.”  

 

Thalyssra shifted back so she was holding the human at arms length, lips pulled into a fond smile. “There’s my Jaina.” She brushed a thumb across a sharp cheekbone before her jaw set in determination. “Now tell me, what do we need to do.”

 

[====]

 

 

_It was weeks before Jaina heard from Azshara again following their recent… actions. Part of her was relieved but another, more rebellious and vocal side of her was angry. Surely Azshara was too old for this kind of silent treatment, kissing her senselessly only to dump her like dirty laundry on the ground less than a few seconds later._

_These constant mood swings were starting to get tiresome._

_It was bound to happen at some point. The adrenalin, the tension, the predicament of their partnership, the staggering stress that both had, weighted upon their shoulders. Jaina was but a blip in Azshara’s lifetime, so why did it feel like she was being the mature one in all this. It was only a kiss for tides sake-_

 

_-And yet so much more._

_Jaina made a strangled noise in the back of her throat this didn’t sound much unlike a wildcat when a trap snapped shut around its leg. Tides, she’d_ ** _kissed_** **_Azshara._**

_And it wasn’t just a kiss was it. A kiss belonged to her younger years of sneaking behind columns, shaded in darkness away from the prying eyes of mentors and disapproving nobles. A kiss was something to describe airheaded teens and stiff straight-laced princes who wished to court. This was nothing like that, this had been an all out, all encompassing, bold-faced claim._

_And by the Tidemother she was already wet just thinking about it._

_For a moment Azshara, Queen of the Naga, ruler beneath the waves, had seen something she’d wanted and seized it without hesitation. And Jaina, embarrassed as she was to admit, had been so willing to give it._

_So why the sudden change of heart? Jaina mulled over that image of disgust and shame that crossed Azshara’s face moments before she’d ducked below the waves. Had it been directed at herself, or at Jaina. The mage frowned uneasily. This complicated matters for sure but Azshara was a fool to put such things on hold over something as frivolous as attraction. Sometimes she really hated being the levelheaded one in their partnership._

_“Azshara I know you’re watching.” Jaina sighed wearily, absently tracing a line of dust on the surface of a bookshelf. “Whatever you have to say lets get it over with.”_

_Truth be told she had no idea if Azshara was watching or not but her bluff seemed successful in that seconds later a familiar magic swirled around her body, Used to it as she was, Jaina barely blinked as the scene rapidly changed and she was yet again on that tediously familiar spit of land that they’d been training on for over a year now._

_Azshara stood with her back to the human, bathed in the shimmering splendor of her Highbourne form. Delicate bare feet planted in the damp sand and the silken hem of her dress fluttering in the breeze, momentarily exposing her long toned legs and the supple skin of a generous thigh. Jaina swallowed and set her jaw, slowly padding in Azshara’s direction like a young and starving wolf, stalking prey far beyond its caliber._

_She paused, just out of arms reach, patient and silent, waiting for her Queen to make the first move. Azshara stayed still for a moment longer before letting out a deep sigh and flicking her ears back before committing to turning around. It was strange for Jaina to watch, to see Azshara fight to ground herself, winding up the courage to even speak._

_And clearly Azshara had turned too soon for she wasn’t expecting the level of pain and uncertainty in those powerful amber eyes before they were quickly masked into a bored and impervious expression. The Naga Queen folded her arms behind her back and straightened, like a soldier addressing a commander prior to delivering undesirable news. With her it just looked unnatural._

_“I apologize for what I did in the conclusion of our last meeting.” Azshara stated, emotionless. “It was out of place for me to do so.”_

_“Out of place” Jaina snorted, “Since when has anything been considered out of place in your eyes.”_

_Azshara narrowed her eyes. “What I did was a weakness on my behalf. The same mistake shall not be repeated.” The finality in her tone warned that this conversation was over but Jaina, emboldened from her exposure to Azshara, wasn’t one to back down meekly as she had done so before._

_She’d seen the way Azshara had looked at her, felt those fangs on her neck, heard the lust filled groan as surprisingly hot breath had washed over the shell of her ear._

_“Hm” Jaina, glanced at Azshara once, taking the time to not so subtly her rake stormy blue gaze over the Highbourne’s scantily clad form. “Now that is a pity.” She calmly stated and sidled away, hoping Azshara could not pick up the frantic pounding of her heart._

_One step, two steps…_

_“So are we going to train or what?” Jaina called over her shoulder, using every ounce of self control she had to keep her voice casual and steady and her chest constricted at the sight behind her. Azshara hadn’t moved but those amber eyes of hers flared just a bit brighter as the muscles in her jaw flexed. Jaina had coaxed out the response she’d been hoping for._

_For some inane reason Azshara wanted her,_ **_desired_ ** _her, and Jaina was going to find a way to break whatever chains her Queen had wrapped up in, denying herself from it._

_*_

_It started out innocently enough. Jaina would take great care in barely touching Azshara’s hand as she went through the motions of casting, or the subtle brush of her hip against her side as she walked past. Sometimes she would make a show of stretching with a delicate groan, realigning bones that didn’t need to be realigned, just to keep Azshara’s attention on herself, on her body. She would sweep her messy braid over her shoulder and subtly pull the collar of her shirt away from her neck, undoing the top three buttons as though she were finding the rather cool and temperate climate to be too warm._

_Azshara, to her credit, remained stoic- barely reacting to the show. Still, Jaina didn’t miss the way her eyes would dart for a second, lingering on the exposed skin of her chest, appreciatively raking over a collarbone before catching herself and averting her gaze away. Part of it was fun, she enjoyed the power trip that came with having such a visceral effect on someone as monumental as Azshara- it felt like seducing a Naaru… or a Titan. The other part however, meant she lost some of the interactions with Azshara she’d begun to crave. The gentle and inquisitive touches in how the Naga Queen had handled her, the flirty and teasing nature of her words, that wicked and seductive fanged grin that was so often directed at her when she least expected it. Now Azshara was all stiff and businesslike, still dangerously arrogant and quick to peacock and boast of her power all while reminding Jaina of her insignificance but the playful tone that soothed the sting from her harsh words was now no longer there. Jaina loathe to admit it, but slowly and surely each insult was starting to get to her._

_It was only a matter of time before things came to a head. Azshara had kept her here for much longer than usual, repeating the same exercises, the same spells, to the point that Jaina felt like she were going mad. Her mana reserves were relatively intact but her body was beginning to tire, she felt lightheaded, thirsty… she also needed to piss but she wasn’t about to go asking Azshara, ruler beneath the waves, former Queen of the Quel’Dorei and devoted by all, for a bathroom break._

_The exercise dragged on._

_It was getting hard to focus now, but Azshara probably couldn’t grasp mortal needs such as dehydration and low blood sugar so Jaina merely grit her teeth and continued on, even if every part of her body protested. Every time Azshara opened her mouth Jaina would reverently wait for the Queen to announce the end of their meeting, to teleport her home and allow her the break she so desperately craved, but it seemed today her Queen was being less than merciful. Her skin felt sensitive, her muscles weak and she realized with dread this went beyond mere exhaustion. She was getting sick._

_“Focus little human, you seem to be greatly lacking enthusiasm in your training or does your tiny mortal mind fail to comprehend the gravity of what will happen if you fail.” Azshara snapped impatiently. Jaina sighed heavily, noticing now how painful her throat was when she swallowed. She felt as though in a trance, each time Azshara’s words barked out, harsh and demanding against her delicate ears, Jaina would numbly follow, even as her vision blurred and her feet shifted, unsteady in the sand. Jaina idly wondered why she was struggling so in keeping up pretenses, what exactly was she trying to prove._

_That fact that she wasn’t mortal? Because she was. She was very mortal, and very human. She needed food and water and sleep, she would get sick sometimes and enjoyed the occasional lazy mornings where she could lie curled up in bed with a warm mug and a good book. Azshara would only tease her for these moments, spurn them as weaknesses and it was starting to make Jaina feel ashamed. Ashamed of her humanity, ashamed of her_ **_mortality._ ** _Tides she was too embarrassed to ask even for a drink._

_Azshara again absently scolded her to focus, all the while barely looking in her direction and she felt her anger spark. This wasn’t fair, to be made to feel like this, like it was wrong to be alive. Jaina’s expression fell as the spell she casted, sparked and stuttered, fizzling out uselessly in her hand._

_“It’s like you’re not even trying, human- do it again.”_

_Oh so Azshara had demoted her name to ‘human’- how mindlessly petty. How very like her Queen to think Jaina’s race as an insult. Was she really letting this happen? Pretending that it was okay for Azshara to spit on her situation- spit on events out of her control. Make her feel ashamed for who she was because Azshara wanted to hide the fact that she was weak enough to feel some attraction toward her._

_“No.” Jaina whispered and realized with a cold dread she’d said that word aloud._

_“No?” Azshara questioned, her posture stiff and her tone irate._

_“No” Jaina repeated, sinking to the ground and slowly laying back so that the back of her head rested against the warm sand and she was staring up at the clouds lazily drifting in the pale sky. She idly wished she were one of them. “No more.”_

_She half expected Azshara to lose her temper and smite her on the very ground she was lying on, but nothing of the sort happened. Just silence. Jaina idly heard the soft pad of footsteps in her direction before the Queen stopped, sighing in irritation before turning away._

_More blissful silence, more waves lapping softly against the short, more clouds drifting high above._

_“I suppose I am asking too much of a human mortal.” Azshara hissed, though the words didn’t carry much weight to them, almost as if the Naga Queen was automatically repeating them in retaliation of having nothing better to say._

_“Maybe you are.” Jaina responded, too tired to really care. “You keep telling me, I’m mortal, I’m insignificant, I’m weak…” the human paused and idly grabbed a fistful of sand, letting it trickle through her fingers. “At this point I’m wondering who you’re even trying to convince- me or yourself.” She waited for a while for a response before closing her eyes in defeat. “I’m tired Azshara, I think I have been for a very long time and I need to rest. I don’t care if that makes you angry, or makes you think less of me but I am done with you making me feel ashamed of what I am.”_

_More silence and Azshara let out a wearied huff of air. Jaina lifted her head from the sand at the noise but already the world was warping around her. Cool magic washed over her body and she felt blissfully clean and devoid of sweat and sand and, rather than being haphazardly dumped on the shoreline as she so often was, she felt the softness of a mattress and the familiar scent of freshly laundered pillows and sheets._

_She was home, in her bed._

_“Then rest.” Azshara’s voice echoed in the back of her mind before her eyes drooped shut and her overtired mind instantly succumbed to unconsciousness._

_*_

_Days and nights of fitful sleep passed and Jaina finally felt she had the strength to finally get up and walk around. Her mother had offered a tidesage to help speed along her progress of recovery but Jaina declined. Sometimes, even in sickness, the best remedy was simply hydration and relaxation. A tidesage might alleviate physical ailments but no healer could cure a lack of sleep and Jaina couldn’t even remember the last time she’d had a proper night of rest. Regardless, she’d desperately needed this._

_Azshara hadn’t bothered her, though Jaina had noticed a flask placed next to her bed when she’d next awoke, groggy and confused. At first she’d thought it medicine brought to her by her mother but after taking a few cautious sips she realized whatever concoction this was went far beyond any alchemy that Kul Tiras could produce. This not only eased her physical body but the constructs of mana further within, soothing the ever present charge of power that roiled within her, restless in its disuse. Whatever it was, Jaina was eternally grateful though slightly troubled at the accuracy in which Azshara could translocate such an object. Sometimes in her disturbed dreams she’d witness five glowing orange eyes, staring at her from across the darkened room- half expected tentacles to rise from the shadows and grab at her ankles and wrists._

_Still, Jaina mused as she picked up the flask and inspected it- curious at its simplicity. The fact that Azshara had even thought to give her medicine was surprisingly… sweet. Jaina wondered if the Queen had made it herself, or ordered her court to mix the potion. The thought humored her more than it should, imagining Azshara leant over her task, slitted pupils dutifully trained on crafting something just for her student._

_“Why Azshara” Jaina imagined herself teasing, next time she laid eyes on the Naga Queen, “I didn’t take you to be such a caregiver.”_

_Perhaps not, Azshara didn’t seem in the mood lately for that kind of banter._

_Jaina groaned, and rolled her stiff shoulders. She should probably go and see her, even if she still wasn’t quite feeling the full effects of her recovery. She was well enough to walk and talk and by default she was probably well enough to train, though she hoped maybe Azshara might go a little easier on her._

_Which was…doubtful._

_She knew now the correct location to teleport to the island now, after a few botched tries she’d eventually gathered the strength to cast the spell and was unsurprised to already see Azshara there. Jaina had gathered pretty quickly that the Naga Queen’s magic was powerful enough that she could probably sense her arcane movements and figure out a way to latch onto any destination the human mage took. It was impressive, if not more than a little terrifying._

_“As you can see I am back for my training.” Jaina stated, trying to keep her voice strong despite the fact that she still felt rather weak. “I apologize for how I acted before, as you can see” Jaina allowed herself a self-depreciating smile, “I am only mortal after all.”_

_She half expected Azshara to roll her eyes, or scoff. So when she simply smiled softly in return Jaina tilted her head in surprise._

_“Apology accepted, but I must correct you, for WE are only mortal.” Azshara didn’t let the words, significant as they were, hang for very long- as if she were embarrassed to utter them. She quickly made a gesture, moving the conversation along. “Come closer, let me have a look at you.”_

_Jaina frowned, still mulling over Azshara’s confession. What did she mean by mortal? That she would die eventually? Or that she too had mortal emotions and needs- did she admit to physical mortality? Or something more spiritual in meaning._

_Azshara glided closer, still in the glory of her Naga form and hooked one clawed fingertip ever so gently under Jaina’s chin, lifting it up so the human would look into her many eyes._

_Jaina wished her traitorous heart would calm._

_They stayed like this for a while before Azshara tutted disapprovingly, grabbing hold of one wrist and twisting the skin on the back of her hand. Jaina yelped in shock, snatching her arm back._

_“You are absolutely in no fit state to be training- barely out of your fever and dehydrated beyond belief. Have you no mother to teach you the basics of looking after yourself?” Azshara sounded frustrated, bright orange fins flaring as if to highlight her exasperation._

_“I have a mother” Jaina growled, rubbing the sore patch on the back of her hand. “But I’ve long since passed the need to treated like some wayward child.”_

_“Could have fooled me.” The Naga Queen scoffed, dark lips curling over gleaming white fangs in a cruel sneer. “Go home Proudmoore, get some more rest, we will resume this when I deem you fit to continue.”_

_Jaina bit back a growl. This was ridiculous, Azshara had gone from brutally pushing her, insulting her weakness at every turn to babying her as though she were someone fragile, incapable- unworthy of deciding her own limits and needing to be parented by this insufferable, monstrous, beautiful, sea dwelling… bitch._

_“You are being ridiculous” Jaina voice her thoughts aloud, “I am more than capable of handling myself with whatever task you throw at me, dehydration can be easily fixed,” The human snapped her fingers, instantly conjuring a chilled flask of water and taking a swig of it before narrowing her eyes and point and finger accusingly in Azshara’s direction, “Which I can’t say the same for your attitude.”_

_Azshara rolled her eyes..._

_-The audacity of this woman--!_

_...And placed a hand on her hip, holding the other one out and casually igniting a ball of magic in the center of her palm. She tilted her wrist, rolling the sparks of arcane between her fingers as though she were merely playing with raindrops, trickling down the tips of her claws. The second set of arms folded across her torso as she made a show of turning her attention from her idle use of magic to regard Jaina. Like a parent deciding whether to send their child up to their room for misbehaving._

_The human scowled, cheeks heating up in shame from the manner in which she was being handled and flexed her fingers, ready to counteract whatever teleportation spell that would send her away. Not that it would stop Azshara, but she wasn’t about to give up without a fight._

_“Actually,” Azshara paused and the spark fizzled out. “I have a better plan. There will be no training today but,” the orange glow of her eyes flared brighter as if daring Jaina to protest, “I think it’s about time I showed you something I think you might like very much.”_

_And with that Azshara darted forward, grabbing Jaina by her upper arm and teleporting away before the human could even process her words._

[====]

 

Jaina winced, and shifted uncomfortably within the enchanted disguise she was wearing. The shimmering heat of Ogrimmar greeted her once more and she yearned to let a soothing vortex of frost drift from her fingers and wrap around her heated skin in a caress.

 

“Don’t even think about it” Thalyssra hissed, as if those long and elegant ears of hers were somehow capable of catching that train of thought.

 

Jaina merely grunted in response and idly tightened at the straps of a heavy spiked pauldron, hoping the helm she wore shrouded her disguised face in enough shadow to hide her clear discomfort. Why in the Tidemother’s name did orcs feel the need to further line their heavy armor with such thick insulating fur. Were they not aware of the downright _murderous_ heat that plagued the summers of Durotar? From every angle, every shadow, every high up platform or perch, Jaina felt as though several pairs of orange-red eyes were glaring at her set amongst angular pale faces. While she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of a dark ranger, she knew they were there, watching- ready to release a deadly arrow into her eye socket, or slip a blight infused blade between her ribs.

 

“Keep walking” Thalyssra murmured in a low voice, “We need to look like we know exactly where we are going or we will draw suspicion. As far as Sylvanas is aware, I am here to interrogate the prisoners for naga hideout locations in Suramar and you are my disposable orc grunt who I will throw into the cage as sacrifice if things go awry.”

 

“Charming” Jaina replied, finding it rather difficult to whisper in Common through the intrusion that were her temporary tusks.

 

“You’re an orc now, dying meaninglessly to overwhelming numbers is considered an honor.”

 

Jaina bit back her words, knowing they didn’t have time or setting to argue. Saurfang’s rebellion may have currently sat idle in the recent wake of victory but the Horde was still very much divided and Thalyssra had stated that Suramar’s pledge to its current Warchief wouldn’t change, no matter what. It might have even been cause for concern on Jaina’s side; having friends on both sides of the inevitable Horde civil war would be devastating. Though she supposed, even with Thalyssra’s co-operation, that by following through on this plan she would soon become an enemy to them all and it wouldn’t matter who’s side she would be on because nobody would be on hers.

 

Poetic in a way, if she were to indirectly prevent such a war from happening amongst the Horde- always the diplomat, always the peacemaker. They wouldn’t be fighting each other if they were too busy fighting _her._ The thought made her chest ache, too many people she’d never be able to say goodbye to- too many people who would dub her to be a betrayer, corrupted with a desire for power. Maybe it was for the best, if they were to believe that.

 

The entrance to the prison was heavily secured, several dreadguards, tall and lanky and clad in intimidating spiked armor that looked far too heavy for their ragged, skeletal frames, regarded the duo with suspicious yellow eyes. Thalyssra motioned for Jaina to hang back as she sidled up to them, aloof and casual and very befitting of a Shal’Dorei noble, disdainful of the undead and their ‘stench.’

 

 _Thalyssra, should I be concerned how easy it is for you to act this way?_ Jaina forced herself not to smile as the First Arcanist exchanged a few terse words with the guard. Even in a situation as critical as this, where if a single strand of her spellweave was less than perfect, or a particularly powerful mage might feel the need to be inquisitive, would cause her imminent death- Jaina couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming love for her friend. Her ability to trust, her ability to aid with no questions asked, her playful and inquisitive nature that survived after so many years of betrayal and pain.

 

The dreadguard nodded and stood back and Thalyssra motioned Jaina to follow as she stepped through the darkened hallway. Her skin prickled from the buzz of wards as they passed underneath them but mercifully her disguise remained intact, built far more complex and powerful than even the most formidable nullifying field. After all, she had indeed learned from the master, the very person who had spent millennia in perfecting the illusionary form, to the point that Jaina could barely discern the difference between her own skin and this one.

 

So she nearly baulked when a skeletal hand grabbed at her upper arm and narrowed yellow eyes peered into her own.

 

“Well I can’t say I’ve ever seen you around.” Jaina winced as a gravelly yet distinctly feminine voice questioned in perfect Orcish. She took a brief moment to collect her nerves before turning around and thumping her fist heavily against her armored chest in a salute.

 

“ _Throm-ka_ , death warrior. I am a personal escort to the Lady Thalyssra herself.” Jaina kept her voice rough and deep, well aware of several other sickly glowing eyes boring into the back of her neck. She stiffened as the female Dreadguard’s eyes narrowed before yellowed lips pulled back in a downright wicked grin.

 

“And I don’t blame her, strapping thing like you. I too would be inclined to keep such a _personal_ guard for myself.” One ghoulish yellow eye winked and the Dreadguard stepped back, allowing Jaina to pass.

 

Thalyssra said nothing but Jaina could see the poorly disguised relief in her eyes as the masqueraded human fell in step alongside her.

 

They continued to walk in silence until the guards were well out of sight and the cold stone hallways of the cavernous underground hold closed in around them in a strangely comforting blanket of darkness. Thalyssra lit a torch with a snap of her fingers and grabbed hold of Jaina’s wrist, ushering her along.

 

“Did I…” Jaina’s eyes were wide with disbelief, “Just get hit on?”

 

“Don’t-”

 

“-As a an orc?” Jaina felt a small smile tug at her lips.

 

“Well it is a rather… well crafted disguise.” Thalyssra replied dryly and Jaian’s smile widened.

 

“Why Thalyssra do _you_ find it attractive?”

 

“…”

 

“…”

 

“Shut up.” Thalssra eventually snapped and Jaina fought back a snort. If only Thrall could have witnessed the exchange, it probably would have given the gentle shaman a heart attack.

 

Jaina’s good mood was short lived however when she saw the crowd of figures huddled in the darkened cells, countless pairs of glazed eyes flashing like a cats from the glare of the torch.

 

“ _Stars_ , there are so many,” The First Arcanist breathed, barely believing the sheer amount of Naga who were held down here, starved and shivering, scales dull and cracked from the lack of water as they huddled together on the dirt floor. A few whispered amongst themselves only for those whispers to increase in intensity as Jaina dismissed her illusionary disguise for the prisoners to see- even clad in heavy honorbound gear she was unmistakable.

 

“Yes and probably twice that amount in Stormwind” Jaina responded quietly before reaching into her leather pack and rubbing her thumb over the cool metal of a hastily crafted pendant. “Lets just hope this works.”

 

[====]

 

 _Jaina was in heaven, simply put. The room- no, room was an understatement- the_ **_hall_ ** _was stacked, floor to ceiling with books. Not just books but ancient scrolls, hardback tomes- some of which sported titles that Jaina had never even heard of before in her life. The soft glow of carefully placed mage-lights lit the place in a soothing aura but did not detract from the warm glow of the magically ignited fire that flickered in the centre- very warm and very real, though never producing smoke or eating away at the logs that were stacked underneath. She clapped a hand to her mouth, barely stifling what would have been an embarrassingly undignified squeal of delight at the sight._

_“What do you think?” Azshara’s voice was smooth, indulgent- one long eyebrow raised as she gestured with an elegant sweep of an arm to the lavish décor- an elegant armchair and a carpet that looked comfortable enough to fall asleep on. The furniture was… strangely homey, a far cry from the marble and gold and purple silks of usual Highbourne interior design._

_“Where did you get this?” Jaina frowned, running a hand over the subtly worn fabric of the armchair._

_Azshara paused before letting out a long sigh, knowing her answer would most likely upset her companion._

_“Sometimes trade ships pass where they shouldn’t.”_

_Jaina grimaced. “So which poor captain did you drown to obtain this then?”_

_The Naga Queen tried to hide a smirk. “None of your lot, if that makes you feel any better.”_

_“No, not really.”_

_“You may read anything my library has to offer,” Azshara breezed airily, quickly changing the subject “Take the books with you if you feel the need, but do try to be careful and not let anyone else get their filthy paws on them, especially your little friend from Suramar.”_

_Jaina stiffened. Despite her barely concealed joy at the sudden treasure trove of information at her fingertips, her good mood was somewhat soured by reality. It felt as though somebody had wrenched a needle in her side, deflating her moment of dreamlike denial._

 

_“Look, I even have this,” Azshara softly grunted in exertion, oblivious to Jaina’s slight shift in mood, and wrenched a particularly hefty looking hardback down, “Skimming the Surface: An Advanced Guide to Short and Long-range Telemancy.”_

 

_“Skimming the Surface?” Jaina questioned, letting out a huff of breath as the book was all but thrust into her outstretched hands. Tides it was heavy, and decorated beyond belief, even the edge of the pages were tipped with gold._

 

_“Yes it’s a nod to a particular exercise that can help demonstrate your mastery. You set up anchors, waypoints- all feeding from your own energy, might I add, and not with the use of a phase converter or telemancy pad.” Azshara scowled, “The Shal’Dorei think themselves clever with their technology but as I see it, it’s merely cheating.” Her scowl deepened before she cleared her expression and eagerly carried on, pointing to the book that Jaina was now flipping through eagerly, taking in the intricate diagrams with eager eyes. “The exercise has you set up several locational waypoints which you need to teleport to, all on the surface of the water in very close proximity. The aim is to shift to the next one before you foot breaks the skin of the water, thus to a mere observer you are simply running along the waves without ever falling through.”_

 

_“Skimming the surface,” Jaina simply repeated, eyes never leaving the page as she traced a finger over the slightly raised ink._

 

_“Yes, no matter how powerful you are or how sharp your mind is, you’d never be able to relocate yourself with the use of a conventional blink or portal quick enough before your foot becomes submerged. With this kind of telemancy you’re no longer coaxing the fabric of reality to warp to your will, you’re quite literally tearing it apart. It’s unfathomably faster, definitely more precise, but extremely dangerous if done incorrectly. You should give it a read, the author gives a simply genius explanation to it, something to be admired.”_

 

_Jaina eyed the book dubiously before turning it over and glaring up at her. “You’re the one who wrote it.”_

 

_Azshara winked, “Like I said, simply genius.”_

 

_Tides, Jaina should be mad at her. Should be cursing her name for what she’d done to Thalyssra and her people, to what she’d done to Tyrande and the rest of the Kal’Dorei. Allies that Jaina had fought alongside her entire life. She shouldn’t be blushing like some love-struck teenager at the sly smirk Azshara shot her way, at the flash of fangs and sinuous way her hips moved as she moved her way around the bookshelves and thumbed over the titles._

 

_“To this day they still publish my literature, hideously marred through several layers of translation and false interpretation to the point my words of wisdom will never truly reach anyone’s ears, until you of course.” Azshara, hummed in thought before plucking another book from the shelf and chucking it in Jaina’s direction. The human missed the initial catch but quickly suspended it before it hit the ground, and floated it level with her gaze, snatching it out of the air. “Recognize this by any chance?”_

 

_“I...I, yes.” Jaina swallowed a lump in her throat. Of course she recognized this book. The Art of the Missile: a Guide to Channeling Arcane on the Offensive. She had one of her own, a dog eared, tattered copy that a young child, wide-eyed and dwarfed in a bed far too big for her read under the dim and flickering light she’d shakily managed to conjure. Drinking in the words, curiosity drowning out the wild homesickness she felt at her first week in Dalaran. It had been her first friend, a constant companion that she’d feverishly read when the elves looked down upon her with a barely contained sneer and the other humans teased her relentlessly for her homely Kul Tiran accent. Of course that all changed when she’d been the first to obliterate her training dummy in a flurry of crudely crafted yet deadly sharp ice-shards._

 

_“You wrote this?” Jaina felt her voice go soft, flicking to the first page, hardly daring to hope and…_

 

_There!_

 

_The foreword, one she had read countless times whenever she had felt doubtful, whenever she had felt scared or slighted, angry or lonely. The words of encouragement, from a faceless author, hiding behind a pseudonym, words she had mumbled soundlessly on her lips in times where she had struggled or failed._

 

_“The power within a mage is a rare gift, a gift that very few are fortunate enough to wield. But it’s not a mage’s ability to weave a portal or perfectly conjure an elemental that defines their true power, it is their ability to learn, to always strive to be better. You power is a gift in that it will be your constant companion, always there. You don’t forsake it and it will never forsake you. The arcane within you is yours and yours alone, and nobody else can dictate what those limits are, only you can. Never be willing to accept limitations given to you by others, never be happy to settle for less because another deemed you unfit. You are you own limit, so do not get in the way of yourself. Good luck and cast true.”_

 

_Azshara chuckled, a low rich sound and Jaina’s eyes watered as she struggled to process this new information. Words she’d chanted like a mantra. She’d pictured a kind old scholar, smiling indulgently as he’d written his words of encouragement to nurture the budding young minds of the next generation mages. Not this. Not Azshara. Azshara who was as cold as the ocean depths, as ruthless as the waves against a faltering stormwall. Azshara did not encourage, Azshara did not nurture._

 

_Azshara did not…_

 

_The book slipped from Jaina’s hands and the smug smile on the Naga Queen’s face faltered._

 

_“You do not like the idea that it was I who wrote those words?”_

 

_Jaina wordlessly shook her head, though not in a direct answer to the question, more in that she was declining to answer, that she did not know how to feel._

 

_“When I wrote this albeit rather rudimentary textbook, I was a ruler of a thriving empire.” Azshara’s eyes flared and her gaze went distant, as though her very words were conjuring the image of delicate stone towers, the regal domed buildings of ancient Kal’Dorei architecture, the cobbled streets immaculate, its citizens beautiful and proud. “My people loved me and I loved them.” She glided closer to gently pick up the book Jaina had discarded and thumbed through the shelves until she was satisfied that she’d returned it to its original place. Dark lips pulled back into a disarmingly soft smile as she turned away from the shelves to stare at her apprentice’s frozen expression. “Have you ever witnessed it back in Dalaran, the moment the arcane first manifests itself in a child?”_

 

_Jaina swallowed loudly and nodded, her eyes pricking with emotion. She had seen it, multiple times, the proud gasps of the parents as they’d crowded around their child, in awe at the spark of arcane fizzling in their outstretched, chubby fist. The instinct to nurture that power, to take that child under her wing and be for them the mentor they would so desperately need. Yet with that desire to encourage there was a fear, the horror of knowing the responsibility that would inevitably fall on that child’s shoulders. Especially in a world always in or on the brink of war, one that had not known peace in a long time._

 

_“You wish to guide them, push them, protect them. I used to disguise myself sometimes, teach classes to the young students just to reminisce in the days when learning was so thrilling, how it felt to discover so many exciting things about yourself that you never thought had been possible before!” Azshara laughed, still smiling into the distance with that far away look in her gaze that made Jaina’s heart ache. She looked beautiful._

 

_The Naga Queen then gently snorted and looked down. “Of course my ego couldn’t take handling the illusion for long, I’d always shrug it off just to hear their delighted squeals much to the consternation of my poor bodyguards.” Azshara’s eyes tightened as she laughed softly. “I just loved it, the adoration in their eyes, the spark of excitement and hope, emotions we lose so easily as we get older. Sometimes I think you humans have it made, living this long can be so incredibly… tiresome.”_

 

_Jaina didn’t know why she’d moved to stand closer. Perhaps it was the gentleness in Azshara’s face that banished the monstrosity of her features or perhaps it was some strange sensation of pity she felt as Azshara wistfully recalled what she had lost. Part of her wanted to snap back that all of this had been her own doing, that she may still be a queen but of nothing more than a drowned empire. She wanted to cruelly point out that many of her subjects had chosen death over serving their fallen ruler, that she was nothing more than a puppet of N’Zoth, yet somehow the words died on her tongue. Azshara already knew all this, she didn’t need to hear it again._

 

_“I meant those words when I wrote them Jaina, I wanted them to thrive, wanted my empire to succeed. I always just wanted...more. More for me, I won’t deny it, but I always wanted more for them too, so much more and… and they didn’t deserve this, Jaina, they didn’t...”_

 

_And then her words trailed off as her face contorted into a grimace. It took awhile for Jaina to realize that she was crying._

 

_Azshara was crying._

 

_Though her form clearly couldn’t produce tears, it was heart wrenching to hear her sobs. Jaina could do nothing but stare in abject disbelief._

 

_While her mind remained frozen in shock, it took her body less time to react because all of a sudden she was there, climbing over the furniture, reaching on her tip-toes to cup Azshara’s face, cradling the sharp outline of her jaw with one hand while the other traced the backs of her fingers over cool, smooth skin. Her lips parted to whisper empty reassurances, that Azshara didn’t deserve this, that everything was going to be okay. But it wasn’t, it wasn’t okay in the slightest, and deep down Jaina knew, knew that Azshara had gotten everything she deserved and more, that the wretched servitude she was trapped in was apt punishment for the torment she had wrought upon Azeroth, wrought upon her very people and every race she’d deemed inferior._

 

_That didn’t stop Jaina from wishing she could soothe all the hurt away, to temper the raw agony those blazing orange eyes held like one would stamp out hot coals. That didn’t stop Jaina from loving her._

 

_“I know in your eyes I’m nothing but weak and wretched,” Jaina murmured, smoothing a thumb over a delicate cheekbone, before holding her breath and daring to skim her fingers over delicate gills and fins at the side of the Naga Queen’s neck, watching in fasication at the barely contained shudder that Azshara elicited in response. Funny how Jaina had once viewed her to be a monster, a beautiful one at that, but a monster just the same. Now this face seemed so familiar to her, months of training had attuned her to each minute expression, every sinuous movement of limb and tentacle, every fanged smirk and sidelong gaze from her many slitted eyes. Azshara now felt familiar, Azshara felt like…_

 

_Home._

 

_“I know you see me as far beneath you, a mere tool in your bid for freedom but I...I love you all the same.” Jaina felt the declaration rush past her lips as though she’d been punched. It felt like relief and horror tied into one, to utter those feelings aloud, feelings she’d once felt very much ashamed of- had tried to cast over the side like one would a corpse. A shameful secret that she’d thought would die with her._

 

_“I know you can never feel the same and I...I can live with that, but I’m only human after all. I cannot help myself, despite it all, despite what everyone else has told me. I’m those children in the classroom, hopeful, trusting...adoring… loving.” Jaina’s confidence wavered as she turned away to look at anything else but the disdainful gaze that would surely follow once the shock wore off Azshara’s face. “I’m sorry you must be disgusted I…”_

 

_Long, claw tipped fingers grabbed at her chin and she was forced to look back into that burning gaze, one that seemed to flare with an intensity she’d never seen before on Azshara’s face._

 

_“Say it again.” Azshara almost growled, her voice low with an edge of desperation._

 

_“I’m weak I’m…”_

 

_“No.” Frustration bled into that tone. “Tell me you love me.”_

 

_Jaina’s eyes widened and her lips again parted but in surprise before she quickly collected herself. “I love you.”_

 

_A pair of arms settled around her waist and Jaina felt her heart leap painfully within her ribcage. “Tell me you adore me.”_

 

_“Yes, yes. I adore you.” Jaina whimpered, as Azshara leaned closer, lips curling back to bare fangs._

 

_“Tell me that I am your Queen and that I am all and everything that you desire.” A hand wrapped around her throat, ever so slightly cutting off Jaina’s breath so that she began to feel lightheaded as her eyes went glassy with tears. Azshara’s voice had meant to sound impervious, yet it came out more as begging, though in that moment Jaina barely noticed, and she was in no stable mind to comment if she had._

 

_This was it, she was about to die._

 

_“My Queen, my love, my everything.” Jaina’s voice almost came out as a sob and suddenly Azshara’s lips were against hers and it was glorious._

 

_*_

 

_“You have been such a tease, troublesome little thing.” Azshara snarled in her ear as she pulled back and Jaina couldn’t hold back the embarrassing shudder she gave in response. That snarl then gentled into a croon and was somehow even worse. “How long have you craved this? Ever since I gave you a taste on that beach all those weeks ago? Or has it been longer, my sweet, a desire you’ve hidden so well... traitorous thoughts that come unbidden while you were wrapped in the comfort of your bed sheets in a darkened room, buried so deep that you could only live them through your dreams.”_

 

_Jaina’s only response was a pathetic whimper and Azshara chuckled darkly._

 

_“No matter, I can still give you what you want, what you darkest thoughts desire. You need only worship me in return, use those pretty lips of yours sing praises for your Queen, to tell me you’re mine.”_

 

_“I’m yours.” Jaina begged, “I’ve always been yours.”_

 

_For the first time, the grin that Azshara gave in response to that declaration wasn’t cruel, or lecherous or taunting, it was a genuine expression of triumph, perhaps the most open and joyous response she had ever seen on the Naga Queen’s face and for a moment her desire pulled back just enough for her to vow she would do anything to illicit that again._

 

_“Then allow me to claim what is mine.”_

 

[====]

 

_Their dynamic changed rather drastically after that. Their training continued but the first few times proved...difficult. It was just...they were always touching. Innocent guiding of hands to correct casting positions, the gentle brush of fingers trailing across the bare skin of a thigh as Azshara had not-so-subtly leaned over to encourage Jaina into a steadier stance and it would only be a matter of time before Jaina found herself on her back. The weight of a cool body would then settle between her legs as Azshara would kiss and nip down her neck, one set of arms cradling her backside while the other pair of hands would explore her, starting at her chest to gently tug against hardened nipples before ever so softly trailing her claws from the underside of a breast down to her waist and hips and inner thighs until Jaina was wordlessly pleading into Azshara’s neck. Only her mewling would be silenced by a bruising kiss that was all fang and a long, dexterous tongue. Leggings and undershirts were shredded quicker than she could replace them, and Jaina quickly learned to turn up her collar when she returned to land as her neck and shoulder became a myriad of bruises from the claiming bite of those sinfully sharp teeth. As did her inner thighs as well as the gentler blemishes from... well… sucker marks._

 

_It still made Jaina blush to think about that._

 

_Sometimes Azshara would whisper filth to her in Darnassian while she was slowly fucked at a pace that was both torturous and yet what she desperately needed while her legs were unable to close in response to the overstimulation from the tentacles wrapped snugly around her thighs._

 

_Sometimes Jaina would lounge next to Azshara on the shoreline, body still twitching from aftershocks as the Naga Queen gently stroked her hair, the waves lapping at her legs, blissfully cool against her overheated skin as they talked. And Jaina, ever the more emboldened, asked questions no one else would dare._

 

_“Can you see out of all those eyes at once?”_

 

_“Yes, but only in the low light of the ocean depths, the sun on the surface is too harsh for them otherwise.”_

 

_“Does it hurt to be on land without your illusionary form?”_

 

_“A little, the air feels grating on my gills.”_

 

_“Why does your skin feel so cold?”_

 

_“The ocean is a cold place, my dear, so my body is adapted to keep the heat in, but I can assure you I’m still very much... warm blooded.” And then hot breath ghosted over her lips before she was pulled into yet another dizzying kiss._

 

_And all the time Jaina’s power grew. The legions of Faceless and Void-twisted abominations began their first attacks on the coastal cities and the over-eager mage was always the first to burst from the gates, arcane boiling in her veins and a slightly feral grin she’d tried and failed to hide as a corrupted Levithian let out an alien shriek, reduced to twitching ice-impaled limbs in the harbor._

 

_In a twisted way she was...happy. Not only was she under the tutelage of the most powerful mage in existence, she was tended to by the most skillful lover in Azeroth as well. People were awed by her power, for once treating her with an air of reverence and respect she would be embarrassed to admit she was becoming rather addicted to. Even the Banshee, ever proud, ever wearing that self satisfied smirk lifted those chilling red eyes to Jaina’s over the war table before her ears flattened ever so slightly betraying a minute flicker of concern before tilting her head in Jaina’s direction in a very elven manner._

 

 **_“Well, Proudmoore.”_ ** _The Warchief drawled in that bored sounding voice with it’s chilling ethereal undertone,_ **_“isn’t it so very...fortunate we are on the same side.”_ **

 

_She felt… unstoppable. Yet when Azshara held her face between her hands, an almost indulgent smirk on her lips, Jaina felt her soul become tender and vulnerable again, her heart soaring when Azshara uttered the words:_

 

_“Remember you are my Queen too, Dalah’Surfal.”_

 

_Her Queen. Her equal. Coming from Azshara that was just as significant as an outright declaration of undying love. It had what been what put a spring in her step the next morning as she marched home, a grin of triumph and glee ready to split her face in two as she greeted her mother enthusiastically and spun her around, chuckling in response to the nervous, yet hopeful laughter Katherine gave as she allowed her daughter her moment of playfulness, the roguish smile on Jaina’s face that made her look so much like Daelin had in his youth._

 

_“Oh to be young and in love...though I do wish you would tell me who it was, I won’t judge!” Katherine laughed as Jaina stole a piece of toast, ducking away from the playful swat Tandred gave in her direction as he grumbled at the loss of his breakfast._

 

_“Who said I was in love?” Jaina teased, pointing said piece of toast accusingly in her mother’s direction, though she knew at this point from her actions that it was fairly obvious._

 

_“Perhaps it’s a murloc,” Tandred mumbled around a swig of his coffee. “She has been spending an awful lot of time coming back looking like a drowned rat from the ocean.” He ducked in time to avoid her own scolding jab in return._

 

_“Oh sweetie, before you go.” Katherine hurried after Jaina as she made to head for the stairs, handing over the freshly starched paper of an envelope, stamped with the Seal of House Wrynn._

 

_Jaina felt her smile fade a little._

 

_“Do you think it’s serious?” Katherine couldn’t help but frown at the urgent order of summons to the court of the High King._

 

_“I…I hope it’s not.” Jaina felt her mouth twist in worry, he wouldn’t have known of her...intimacy with Azshara? Had he? The only other person she’d ever told was…_

 

_No. Thalyssra would never spilled such a secret, even if the First Arcanist rarely interacted with her these days beyond shooting her a disappointed scowl. She’d never quite forgiven her actions and for that Jaina really couldn’t blame her._

 

_Weaving a portal to Stormwind was almost too easy. So much so that Jaina felt she had to hold back, just to prolong the inevitable visit for a moment longer, worried that with this summon, her world of perfect lies would come crashing down around her. With a deep breath, she finished her weaving, and shakily stepped through._

 

[====]

 

_“Jaina!” Anduin rose from his chair, arms outstretched and ready to greet The Lord Admiral in a warm and welcoming hug._

_Jaina smiled fondly and gently returned his embrace, pleased that despite all the stress and hardship on his young shoulders, Anduin was still that tactile young man with soft blonde hair and blue eyes that sparkled with optimism. He was really growing into his looks now, hair cropped a little shorter and fine stubble over his chin that made him look a lot older. Jaina found that it suited him well._

_“Hello Anduin, I must say I was surprised that you summoned me here on such short notice. Is everything alright?” Jaina questioned worriedly and King smiled softly and gestured for her to sit._

_“Yes everything is fine well, no, of course it isn’t, we have a war waging… but nothing urgent that you need to worry about.” He paused as if unsure of what to say before gesturing awkwardly in the direction of the table. “Tea?”_

_Jaina took pity on him, “I would love some tea Anduin,” she responded with a warm smile._

_Relaxing slightly, he motioned with a gloved hand and soon a steaming pot and delicate china was brought and set out for the two of them. Jaina gratefully lifted the mug to her lips before trying and failing to hide the grimace as she inhaled._

_“I’m sorry,” Anduin looked bashful. “I know it’s much more floral than the brew you’re used to in Kul Tiras.”_

_“Really Andy it’s nothing,” she chuckled. “I just appreciate something warm.” She had been feeling awful cold lately and the warmth of the tea was welcome relief, even if the taste was sub-par._

_“How are things on the front?” Anduin questioned once she’d taken her first few tentative sips, leaning closer and clasping his hands together. “I’ve been meaning to join the ranks on the next ship but, as usual, they keep telling me I am of more use here.” The King scowled and Jaina smiled softly at his frustration. Being a leader wasn’t always about the glory of battle, sometimes it was merely acting as the steady lighthouse amongst the maelstrom, the beacon that inspired hope amongst terrified subjects and guided tired soldiers home._

_“The war waxes and wanes. So far Horde and Alliance have been co-operative but the steady stream of horrors, the whispers and the abominations that crawl from the depths… it’s wearing us thin. I worry that in our fear and frustration, soldiers might turn on each other and with tensions rising it only takes one tavern brawl or a scuffle over rations to invoke an all out war and then we will be yet again fighting on two fronts.”_

_“I don’t trust Windrunner.” Anduin muttered._

_“It’s not Windrunner I’m concerned about.” Jaina reflected back with a knowing glare and the King narrowed his eyes._

_“Greymane and Whisperwind will do as I have commanded. Even someone as hot headed as they know better than to lessen our chances in defeating N’Zoth and his forces, which brings me to my second point- what of the Naga.”_

_“The Naga will not attack.” Jaina replied confidently._

_“How can you be so sure? Azshara might just be biding her time so that we-”_

_“The Naga will not attack.” Jaina’s voice lowered menacingly and Anduin suppressed a shiver before nodding and placing his hands flat on the table in a gesture of surrender._

_“I trust you, Jaina. You know that right?”_

_The Lord Admiral nodded slowly, unsure of what The King of Stormwind was getting at._

_“They speak of you a lot, the soldiers who rotate home from the front. They tell stories of your power, how you obliterated an entire legion of faceless with a sweep of your arm.”_

_Jaina swallowed. “Soldiers exaggerate their war stories, you know this.”_

_Anduin shook his head, “Jaina these weren’t exaggerations. They were awestruck, inspired. My captains have reported how willingly my men follow you, that they look up to you as a hero.”_

_Jaina narrowed her eyes and took another tentative sip of her tea- disappointed that the warm drink wasn’t doing much to soothe the chill inside her._

_“Anduin, what are you trying to tell me.”_

_The King abruptly stood, arms clasped in front of him and his head bowed as he paced over to the fireplace. Jaina frowned in confusion before she cautiously rose to follow him. Eventually the two stood side by side, staring into the flames._

_“The leadership of the Alliance is hereditary,” Anduin eventually spoke, still looking into the fire as if in a trance. “It always has been.”_

_Jaina winced, she still remembered the crowning ceremony. How that young boy, barely into adulthood stood in front of his people, declaring that he would serve them before his father’s body had even gone cold. There had been talks, when the nobility of Stormwind had not been listening, whispers that questioned his right to rule, whether he was their best option in taking up arms against the Legion, but Anduin had proved them wrong. While Varian once raged like a roaring fire, Anduin glowed like a fog lantern at the prow of a ship, steady and strong. His calm disposition was the polar opposite to Varian’s more…spirited way of doing things but it had been just what the Alliance needed._

_“I am glad that it is” Jaina stated decisively, “Like your father, you have lead your people well, Anduin, and I could not be more proud to have been by your side.”_

_“Jaina, I cannot have children.” The words were blurted out and the young King winced as though he wished to have delivered that line better._

_There was a terse silence as Jaina let the weight of those words sink in. Anduin took a deep breath and continued._

_“The priests noticed something, a dark magic. They purged it, but it was already too late to reverse the damage. Perhaps it was when I was fighting the horrors of the void, or maybe a corruption that happened to me even further back when we were at war with the Legion but it was confirmed. I cannot provide the Kingdom with a heir.”_

_“How can you be so sure?” Jaina frantically pressed, already dreading where this conversation was headed._

_“Trust me on this” Anduin sighed sadly. “We have done extensive tests. Even with the aid of Light, the impairment done unto me has made it impossible.”_

_“Anduin I’m…I’m so sorry.” Jaina murmured softly and the King shrugged._

_“It’s alright, I can look on the positive side of this, my relationship with Calia would never have provided us with a child naturally given her… condition and maybe it is time for the Alliance to change.” Anduin set his shoulders proudly and stared confidently in her direction. “Maybe it’s about time the leadership of the Alliance is a position earned rather than given. Perhaps we follow the Horde’s model of passing one’s title to a person of their choosing. Starting with me and,” Anduin’s expression shifted to one of trepidation. “Starting with you.”_

_Something deep within Jaina’s soul shattered._

_“No.” She snapped and turned away, seething. “Absolutely not.”_

_“Jaina” Anduin begged. “At least consider it.”_

_“I will not!” Jaina’s sharp nails dug so deep into her palms they left indents in her skin._

_“They follow you, they believe in you. If anyone can lead us out of this mess it will be you and they know it. I’m not even asking you to say yes, just to think about it.”_

_Jaina felt tears spring to her eyes, the blood freezing in her veins and the painful ache in her chest as her heart thundered against her ribcage._

_“Anduin I’m so sorry.” She whispered and the King looked at her in confusion._

_“It’s okay Jaina, It’s just a precaution if something were to happen to m-”_

_“Don’t say that!” The mage exploded, arcane crackling from her fingertips as she struggled to control her breathing. “Never say that.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she struggled to fight back tears._

_Anduin had expected resistance but not this… wild denial and upset. Jaina had gladly stepped up to her leadership in Kul’Tiras, had lead the Kirin Tor for many years, it wasn’t as if she was a stranger to the burden of being in power. So why was she so adamantly against his suggestion and not just that, but broken, enraged… disturbed._

_“Jaina?” Anduin pressed and it was as if his voice cracked like a whip with the way she flinched._

_“I have to go Anduin.” She growled darkly and the King felt something akin to dread in his stomach._

_“Think on it Jaina, I beseech you” Anduin pleaded, but with an unsteady crackle of teleportation magic, the mage was already gone._

 

[====]

 

_“Dalah’Surfal what an unexpected delight” Azshara crooned, tilting her head with an amused smirk at the way the human stalked in her direction. She was in her illusionary form, a pearl white dress draped across a tall, curvaceous body as she airily flicked back silky pale hair and beckoned the human closer. “You are here much earlier than expected. What has gotten you riled up so? Problems on the warfront? You need only flex your newfound powers and you’ll have those regressive troops of yours crawling at your feet begging your forgiveness.”_

_“That’s not how I lead,” Jaina quipped sullenly as she came to a standstill and glared up at the Highbourne._

_“Hm pity, you could do it so much better.”_

_In no mood for playing games, Jaina was blunt and straight to the point. “Anduin asked me to take on leadership of the Alliance if something were to befall him.”_

_“Perfect” Azshara stated smugly, and her lack of surprise tore apart the last vestiges of Jaina’s hope. “Couldn’t think of a better choice.”_

_“You did this, didn’t you.” Jaina accused. “You tampered with his life force. Orchestrated the whole thing.”_

_“Hardly my dear, he was already halfway there in handing you the mantle, but those stiff, backward advisors of his kept aggressively hounding him to have spawn. I merely gave him that extra push in his decision.”_

_“Decision?” Jaina asked incredulously, “You took that decision away from him!”_

_“Oh come now, it’s not like I killed him.”_

_“Oh and you think I would believe that you wouldn’t try that too? If he refused to give up his throne? Don’t think I would ever give you the benefit of the doubt that you would not try.”_

_“He’s a human, Jaina, he will hardly live very long regardless.”_

_Jaina barked out a sarcastic laugh. “Unless you’ve forgotten, my love, is that I’m human too and he’s more than likely to outlive me.”_

_Azshara paused, narrowing her eyes before she tilted her head with a sad smile. “You really don’t know do you.”_

_Jaina kicked at the sand in exasperation. “Know what Azshara.”_

_“Jaina…” this time Azshara looked genuinely concerned as she draped her arms around the human, ignoring the way she tensed up and actively leaned away from her touch. “You do know you’re immortal… right?”_

_*_

_Jaina wasn’t sure how long she stared into the distance, jaw working as though she was choking on words and her fists clenching and unclenching. Eventually she seemed to relax, standing upright and fixing Azshara with a defiant glare._

_“Fix this.”_

_A beat of silence._

_“Fix what?”_

_“All of this, Anduin, my immortality… everything.”_

_Azshara sighed. “I cannot.”_

_“Yes you can. You made it, so unmake it.”_

_“Jaina I cannot, even if I wanted to.”_

_The human scoffed, hoping her anger would hide the slowly creeping dread in the pit of her stomach. “Most powerful mage in Azeroth and she can’t even right her own fuckups.”_

_Azshara snarled in disgust. “I didn’t ‘fuck up’, as you so crudely put it, all of this was very intentional and if you had a shred of common sense you would see it too.”_

_Jaina barely noticed, the world swayed before her feet and this time her world did crash around her but not in the court of the High King being accused of treason but in the gentle embrace of the very person she thought she loved, the very person she’d felt foolish enough to trust._

 

_Such a silly little fish, look at her now, flailing uselessly with a barbed hook through the side of her mouth._

 

_“I can’t believe this.” Jaina hissed out. “I thought I knew you, thought that maybe, just maybe, you were more than what those ancient folk songs warned about, that perhaps you were not deserving of the hatred that so many sneer when they hear your name. Did you know…” Jaina laughed mockingly, angrily pulling away and stalking along the sand. “Did you know the Kal’Dorei have more than forty insults that incorporate your name and trust me, some of them are absolutely vile.”_

 

_“Oh that is not news to me, human.” Azshara laughed and Jaina bristled at the sudden demotion from her name to petty sneers in regard to her race. “They defaced my statutes, scrubbed my name from the history books, absolved me of my influence in their culture, good deeds and bad, and yet all the spells they still use, all the arcane teachings they preach in Suramar like they were the ones that invented it, who’s name is hidden within those incantations, whose signature is it on their precious books! Mine! So don’t for one second think you can hurt me with your petulant words, just because you feel the sudden need to get sentimental over that Alliance whelp.”_

 

_“An Alliance ‘whelp’ who I will protect with my life.” Jaina snarled._

 

_“Your life?” Azshara almost cackled, “Oh my dear, perhaps your fleeting human memory does not serve you so well, but I do believe the life you’re so willing to lay down for that mewling cub is not yours to give.”_

 

_“It’s not yours either.” Jaina felt tears spring to her eyes, “not anymore.”_

 

_For a fleeting second Azshara’s face morphed into one of hurt, her lips parting in surprise before pressing into a thin line, the fins at the side of her face flaring menacingly, pupils narrowed to mere slits._

 

_“I don’t recall requiring your permission.”_

 

_“I will not lead the Alliance in your name, Azshara. I came here to kill N’Zoth, I refuse to replace one tyrant with another.” Jaina dropped her hands to her sides, hating the deep, numbing pain as her heart started to split in two._

 

_“By destroying one tyrant you will always set the stage for another.” Azshara pressed, “but there need not be one with me. I have learned Jaina, I have changed, I will never repeat the mistakes from before that cost me my empire. I would rule fairly and justly with the grace of a-”_

 

_“Enough!” Jaina seethed, and for the first time Azshara fell silent. “I will not be your mindless thrall, felling the formation of one dark empire in order to build another just as cruel.”_

 

_“I never said you’d have to, and I am insulted, nay heartbroken, that you would accuse my plans of being as such! But we had a deal and you cannot walk away! You will not leave your Queen.” Azshara’s voice rose in pitch and fury and Jaina found that she was struggling to swallow though the blind panic sitting like a dead weight in her chest._

 

_“I am leaving, Azshara, I need some space, I need time to think…” Jaina grit her teeth and mustered up the courage to begin a teleportation rune. “I need-”_

 

_The teleportation rune snapped, an angry lash of arcane sapped at her mana, causing Jaina to cry out in pain.  
_

 

_"You will do as I say!”_

 

_And there it was, hidden amongst their strange and tender dynamic, the real nature of what Azshara thought of her. Nestled beneath gentle words, and even gentler touches, like a huntress, hidden, waiting… poised to show the cruel reality of life at a moments notice. Azshare did not care for her, Azshara believed she owned her, and perhaps it was true, perhaps that had been their deal but foolishly...oh foolishly she had hoped._

 

_Hoped that something had changed._

 

_Jaina’s eyes widened, her mouth parted in surprise and wicked claws clamped around her in a restrictive grasp as she was quickly quickly pulled below the waves._

 

_*_

 

_Darkness. The pressure of the cold crushing depths._

 

_Jaina made a small noise of pain only for it to be muffled by the roar of blood in her ears as a few bubbles escaped her parted lips. There was a burning in her chest as she began to struggle, eyes opening and instantly smarting at the salt water that rushed into them._

 

_She couldn’t see anything._

 

_The pain in her chest grew worse, her throat seized and her legs began to thrash._

 

_No surface in sight, no air, no gentle sun glimmering on her upturned face. Just the ache in her ears and the pain in her lungs as her chest contracted uselessly, more bubbles escaping as she tried and failed to hold in her precious remaining air._

 

_Azshara!_

 

_Jaina didn’t have the capacity to make any noise, all she could do was manically scramble, the panic setting in. She couldn’t feel her magic, no teleportation spells worked, or at least not ones where she could figure out a solution to breaking out of here before she drowned._

 

_She was going to die here, wasn’t she._

 

_So cold. So alone._

 

_Tidemother..._

 

_Red eyes opened in the dark, tendrils wrapped around her, the steady thrum of magic licked across her exposed skin and the eyes drifted closer._

 

**_Look at you now, Daughter of the Sea- how you struggle beneath the waves. Do you not wish for a form more… fitting for such a title?_ **

 

_Azshara no… Jaina inwardly begged but already her mind was going cloudy, the thoughts drifting from her mind as the last of her resolve slipped and her body let out an involuntary breath, the pain of the water entering her lungs muted somewhat by her rapidly fading consciousness. She barely noticed the soft press of lips against hers and against her will she found her arms sluggishly reaching out for Azshara’s shoulders in a final, silent plea for salvation. Gentle hands cradled her face, before slowly pressing against her jaw and then sliding down to rest against the sides of her neck._

 

**_Don’t you wish you could just… breathe…_ **

 

_And breathe she did, along with the burning agony from where Azshara’s claws had dug into her skin, slicing rivets of flesh to fashion symmetrical scars on each side. The blissful relief of oxygen returning to her body caused tears to run from her eyes and mingle with the water as she suddenly had the energy to panic again._

 

_Hands shoved against Azshara’s chest, her lips pulled back into an outraged grimace as her heart thundered against her ribcage, the pain in the sides of her neck lessening with each unnatural breath she took._

 

 **_I think that’s enough._ ** _Jaina faintly listened to Azshara’s thoughts before she felt the familiar weave of teleportation magic and she was back on the surface, clamping hands against the bloodied gashes on her neck and sobbing. All the while Azshara stayed with her, soothing her, stroking her hair, whispering apologies mixed with praises and despite the whole ordeal being Azshara’s fault in the first place, Jaina couldn’t help but bury her face into the Naga Queen’s neck in search for some semblance of comfort._

 

_“I’m sorry sweet thing, shhhh...I’m so sorry I had to do that… please forgive me.” Azshara’s voice was a sympathetic croon but it only served to make Jaina’s skin crawl. “But I had to make you understand, had to make you see. That you belong to the sea, that you belong… to me.”_

 

[====]

 

_It was the middle of the day, the sun peaking high, bathing the marbled streets of Suramar in a harsh light. Thalyssra did not see that however, for her nocturnal lifestyle had her sprawled under the soft silken sheets of her bed, the blinds closed and the room bathed in the gentle bluish hue of a single mage light. Her pale hair fanned out over a plush, down feather pillow and her eyes were gentle slits of light as she blissfully stretched and set her book aside, ready to turn in for the day._

 

_Until a harsh knock at her door had her sitting bolt upright._

 

_She could sense Jaina’s arcane signature, always bright and familiar and a welcome visit to her establishment, but now it seemed, tainted, wrong… tampered with. A magic permeated it, a dark magic, one that caused her ears to flatten and her skin to prickle for that kind of power she’d known all too well, a magic she’d hoped to never feel again. Azshara’s magic._

 

_Opening the door Jaina ducked inside, soaking wet and shivering, cheeks pale and streaked with tears. For a moment the two silently stared at one another before Jaina collapsed, sobbing into Thalyssra’s arms. Wordlessly the First Arcanist soothed her, her lips pulled back in a grimace as she reached out with tendrils of magic to brush against Jaina’s altered signature before recoiling at the twisted essence that lashed back in response._

 

_Oh Jaina._

 

_“Thalyssra,” The human whimpered, trembling hands tightening on the silky fabric of the robe the Shal’Dorei had hastily flung on, gripping like her life depended on it. “I need your help.”_

 

**Author's Note:**

> Well what can I say, hell hath no fury like a Naga Queen scorned. Thank you for making it to the end so far!


End file.
